A Fine Line Between Heaven and Hell
by CharmedOne24
Summary: A Halliwell wedding, a Halliwell baby and a Halliwell funeral. Changed future. Chris, Wyatt & more! COMPLETE
1. Baby Boy

**A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews from my last story- "Destiny Unleashed". I appreciate all the loyal readers. I hope you like this next story in my series. **

**I know I said that in my last fic, this next one would be named "The Wedding that Wasn't." Sorry, but that title just didn't work for me after I finished a couple of chapters. So now, it's "A Fine Line Between Heaven & Hell".**

**In case anyone is confused, my character list is located in my profile, just click on my name, and you'll have a run-down of who's who in my Halliwell future. This story takes place about 4 months after the last one.**

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"I can't believe it's only going to be one week and my baby boy is going to be married!" Piper was having problems with the idea that Chris was soon going to be a husband. "I mean, it seems like only weeks since the other Chris died, and this Chris was born. It's all gone by so fast."

"Honey, Chris is a grown man now. He's 21 years old, a successful chef and partner in the hottest restaurant in San Francisco. He also happens to be a powerful witch that has an amazing grasp of his powers. Maya makes him happy, and completes him. Just like another dark haired witch completes me." Leo smiled intimately at Piper, hugging her to him. Hugging his wife was one thing he would never get tired of. He just hoped that it would be the same for both of his sons.

"Oh, Leo…" Piper sighed kissing his chin. "I know he's all grown up. And I know that he's ready to be a husband. I just don't know if I'm ready to let him be one. I don't want to lose him again, Leo." Her eyes teared up.

Leo immediately knew what she was talking about. "Piper, we're not losing him again. He's not dying this time. He's healthy and happy. We did a good job this time around. Nothing that happened in Chris' original future has happened in this one. There's no reason to think that he'll die young like he did in the other life. He's just getting married. And he's not even moving that far away! He's going to be right across the street. He and Wyatt both are. You have to let them go and live their lives. They still love you. Both of them do. They just need to have a life apart from us now. It's natural, Piper. It's normal. That's what you wanted, isn't it; a normal life for your kids?"

"You know it is. It's just hard to let them go, that's all. It makes me feel old, Leo!" Piper cried out, embarrassed.

"Ha! You feel old? You oughta try becoming a grandma!" Phoebe grumbled, walking into the living room and flopping down on the sofa beside Piper.

"How's Paisley doing, anyway?" Leo asked, somewhat relieved to see Phoebe. Piper was making him slightly crazy with her neurosis about Chris getting married.

"She's okay. Complaining a lot because she can't see her feet, though." Phoebe laughed. "Last night when I went in to check on her, she was making Ryan paint her toenails for her. She said that since he got her pregnant, then he could keep her a pretty as possible when she was fat."

Piper shook her head. "Paisley isn't fat. Actually, she's still really slim except for the baby bulge. I hope Ryan told her that."

Phoebe winced visibly. "He wasn't quite that smart. I think his words were 'well you haven't blown up like I thought you would.'"

"Ouch." Leo grimaced, knowing what it was like to piss off a pregnant witch.

"Yeah. It wasn't pretty. She TK'd him right off the bed."

"TK? She doesn't have telekinesis. How did she do that?" Piper asked, interested.

"The only thing I can come up with is that the baby is telekinetic. Remember when you pregnant with Wyatt, his shield would come up to protect you? I guess for now Paisley has the telekinetic powers of her baby."

"OW! Jesus, Paisley! Stop it!" Ryan's voice echoed through the manor.

"Get out! Just get the hell out! I can't believe you! I'm almost 9 months pregnant with your baby, and you can't understand why I'm not in the mood? Are you crazy? Just get out! I hope your dick falls off, you ass!" Paisley screamed, pissed off and in a full rage. She waved her hand in frustration, and one of the banister slats exploded.

Silence echoed through the manor. "Um… sorry, Aunt Piper!" Paisley called out sheepishly.

"No problem, Pais." Piper hesitated. "Ryan?"

"Yes, Piper?" he asked quietly.

"You might want to work on your pregnancy etiquette, you know. If that baby has molecular acceleration and telekinesis, and you keep unintentionally insulting Paisley, it's going to be a really painful few weeks for you." Piper hid her smile, remembering how bad she'd treated Leo during her two pregnancies. "A pregnant witch is not a thing to mess with."

Ryan laughed a little, "I think I'm starting to figure that out."

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"Wyatt!" Chris' voice echoed through Yummies, their restaurant.

"What's up? Mom harassing you again about moving out?" Wyatt's voice teased from the back room where he was taking inventory.

"God, don't remind me. I swear if I hear the words, 'my baby boy is all grown up' one more time I think I'll puke." Chris' face showed his disgust.

"Give her a break, Chris. She's had a hard enough time adjusting to me moving across the street, now you're moving in with Abby and I. It's gotta be tough for her to have both of us leave at basically the same time."

"Yeah, I know, but, damn Wy. She's acting like I'm moving to the North Pole! And she's even making Maya feel guilty. How do I get her off my back?" Chris asked frustrated.

"I don't know, Chris."

"I mean, really, is it all that much to ask to want a normal life with my wife? I mean, c'mon, we compromised as it is. We were going to get a small house on the outskirts of the city. But instead, we decided that to make every thing easier, we'd take the other half of your duplex across the street from the manor. And Mom's still not happy!"

"Chris, I know. I get what you're saying. But, short of just plain telling mom to back off, I don't know what you can do." Wyatt got a devilish sparkle in his eye. "Unless, of course, you want to go hunting to relieve some tension."

Chris laughed. "Wy, we haven't gone demon hunting to relieve frustration since we were in high school."

"So? It worked then, it should work now. We can get Jake to watch the restaurant."

Chris grinned. "I guess we're going hunting then."

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Chris and Wyatt orbed together into the Underworld. "Here, demon, demon. Here, demon, demon." Wyatt whistled through his front teeth playfully.

Chris laughed at his older brother's teenage antics, and elbowed him sharply.

"Come on, doofus. Let's find some demons and spoil their day."

They walked together noting the lack of noise in the Underworld. Normally, the sounds of suffering echoed below the ground. Screams of pain, moans and sounds of general unrest played in an ending loop normally, providing an appropriate background for the evil that lurked there.

"Chris, have you noticed how quiet it is down here today?" Wyatt asked slowly, being careful to keep a close eye on the shadows of the walls. Shadows had a way of suddenly taking shape, and he wasn't taking any chances.

"Something big must be going on. Look, even the bats are silent. Think we should orb to the Coliseum, and see if anything is going on there?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Maybe we can stop whatever they're planning before it happens." They disappeared in a shower of orbs.

Their orbs ended at the Coliseum. It was empty and silent like the rest of the Underworld. Wyatt looked uneasily at Chris. "I don't like this, Chris. I think we should go and have Dad check with the elders. This is too quiet."

"Perhaps you would enjoy more screams of pain, like this one?" A tall thin demon shimmered in behind Chris, and hit him with a fireball. Chris yelled in pain, and turned to defend himself. The demon held out his hand and both Wyatt and Chris were unable to move. He started chanting in a language neither of the brothers understood, and they instinctively tried to orb away. Their orbs were dropped back in place magically suffocated by the dense evil that suddenly surrounded them. Black bars rose around them, encasing them in separate cages.

Chris tried to orb again, but couldn't. Wyatt brought up an energy ball, but it extinguished itself as soon as it formed. The demon laughed eerily. "You witches think you are so smart. You aren't the only ones who know how to make a magic proof cage. Sit tight, witches. The game has only just begun, and not all the players are here yet."

"Wait! Wait… what do you mean? Not all the players? What are you planning?" Chris yelled as the demon started to shimmer out.

"I am planning what all self-respecting demons are planning. I am planning the end of the Halliwell line. When I kill you all, then I will secure my rightful place as The Source of All Evil." The demon got a blissful look on his face and grinned at the thought.

"And just how do you plan to do that when every other demon before you has failed?" Wyatt demanded angrily. He couldn't believe that he and Chris had walked right into such a simple trap.

"Oh dear… have I angered the Twice-Blessed witch? Too bad you can't do jack to stop me." The demon yelled into his face. "It's very simple, you see. Since the two of you were so _stupid_ as to walk into my trap, now I have something that the Charmed Ones and their progeny want back. I have both of you. And since in recent years, it is the two of you who have done most of the demon fighting, your family has gotten lazy. That laziness will prove their downfall. I already have the two most powerful Halliwell witches. The rest will fall into line, just as I have planned."

_He's crazy, Wy. There's no way that he could beat all of them. We'll get out of this. It's not like it's the first time we've gotten into messes down here. _Chris sent the thought telepathically to his brother.

_Any idea what this is Chris? What are we dealing with here?_ Wyatt answered his brother's thoughts.

"What, no answer for me witches?" The demon reached into Chris' cage and ripped his shirt off. "This is will serve as proof for your parents. Then they'll have no choice but to rescue you." The demon shimmered out.

_DEMON! DEMON IN THE MANOR! LOOK OUT! _Chris and Wyatt both sent the thought to their family simultaneously, hoping that they would be heard from below the earth.

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**A/N: Well, that's it so far. Please review if you like it. Actually, please review if you hate it too, so I know what I'm doing wrong. Next chapter up soon!**


	2. A New Power

**A/N: Thanks for those who reviewed! Shame on you for those that didn't! (Just kidding!) I appreciate all the nice remarks.**

**Nevair- author speaking very innocently Chris had to lose his shirt… his was the one that was bloody. How else would the Charmed Ones believe a demon? Hehehehehe….. : )**

**embry & Altaira- Glad you like it. Tell your friends! LOL**

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_DEMON! DEMON IN THE MANOR! LOOK OUT! _Piper jumped as she heard both her sons' voices in her head at the same time.

"Argh! Just for once I'd like a normal day." She grumbled as she ran upstairs to find her sisters. "DEMON!" she screamed, as she saw something start to flicker in to the hallway.

"Do not kill me. I have information for you." the demon spoke calmly.

Piper narrowed her eyes, and kept her hands up, ready to blast him if necessary. "PAIGE! PHOEBE!" She yelled, not taking her eyes off the demon.

"Piper, what is going…? Demon!" Paige held up her hand, palm outwards, ready to orb-explode him, as Phoebe started to levitate.

"No!" Piper called out quickly. "He says he only has information. Don't vanquish him yet."

"Ahh, common sense. It's so refreshing after dealing with your two stubborn sons. I have a message for you." The demon grinned a humorless smile. He pulled out a familiar blue t-shirt and dropped it at Piper's feet. "I am holding your boys for ransom. I want the Power of Three. You have three hours to either relinquish your powers over to me, or to watch as I send your sons lifeless bodies back to you." He held up his hand, stopping Piper as she started to blast him. "No, no… you don't want to do that. If you vanquish me, the cages that are currently holding your sons will implode on themselves, killing your boys in the process. If you kill me, you kill them as well. See you soon." The demon flickered out as silently as he had come in, leaving Chris' bloody shirt behind.

"No! God, no!" Piper whispered hoarsely, picking up Chris' shirt. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "Get Leo." she ordered quietly. Paige and Phoebe didn't move. "Damn it! I said get Leo!" she screamed after seeing them just stand there.

Paige wet her lips. "He's in a meeting with the elders. I can't just orb up there and make him come down. It was an emergency meeting about a new evil."

Piper narrowed her eyes at her sister. "There is no bigger emergency than my sons' lives! Go get him, RIGHT NOW, Paige! You're a white lighter. You know they'll let you in." Phoebe nodded to Paige in encouragement.

Whenever there was an emergency meeting of the elders, Leo's ability to sense the sisters was voided. They had an emergency white lighter for those times, but rarely ever used him. Instead if there was an emergency, Paige, Wyatt or Chris would just orb 'Up There' and pull Leo from the meeting. Paige glanced at Piper one more time and orbed away.

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"LEO!" Paige yelled before her orbs had fully disappeared in front of the hall where the elders met. "LEO!"

A young white lighter blocked her path. "You can't go in there. It is a closed meeting."

"Not to me, pal. Door!" She yelled and the door to the meeting room swung open. "LEO!"

Leo and the other elders stood around a large circular table. Inside the table there was a wavy substance much like the Seer's pool in the Underworld. This was the Elder's link to magic, and allowed them to see the dangers in the Universe. Leo looked up in surprise.

"Paige? What's wrong?" His heart sunk as he took in the look on her face. He didn't need to hear the words; he already knew that it was the worst possible news. "Is it Piper?"

"No, no, Piper's okay. We need you at home though, Leo. It's the boys. Chris and Wyatt- they've, well… they've been kidnapped."

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Leo and Paige orbed into the attic where the rest of the family had already gathered. Maya, Abby & Ryan were there also. Technically, they weren't Halliwells, but still considered family anyway.

"Did you hear anything else from the demon?" Leo asked immediately. "Are Chris & Wyatt okay?"

Piper looked at him with watery brown eyes. "I don't know. I heard them tell me a demon was coming, but I haven't heard anything from them since."

"Ok, well, Paige said that the demon wants the Power of Three, right? So he's not going to hurt the boys until he gets that, or the time limit runs out. It's too risky."

"I don't get it. How did this happen? How could the two most powerful witches in the world get kidnapped?" Paige asked aloud.

"They must have gotten taken by surprise. It's the only way." Phoebe answered solemnly.

"Yeah, and why now? Why would a demon kidnap them when they're 24 and 21 years old? Wouldn't it have been easier when they were babies? That is, if all he wanted was the Power of Three?" Patience broke in.

"They were too well protected before." Piper answered brokenly. "Wyatt…Wyatt was kidnapped when he was a baby by Gideon before we found him. He was only with him for about 15 minutes and he was fine, but it scared the hell out of all of us. We watched both of them and all of the rest of you so carefully until you were old enough to handle your powers on your own." Piper looked down at the shirt she was still holding. "Maybe we shouldn't have ever stopped."

Phyra stomped her feet. "STOP IT!" Everyone turned to look at her. "Quit acting like they're dead. We have to stop moping around and worrying about why they got taken. Instead, we have to figure out a way to get them back!" She sighed disgustedly. "Chris would be the first one to tell you guys to focus. So maybe that's what we need to do." Her voice was slightly snotty, as only a teenager's could be.

_Dad? Dad…I don't know what this demon is. You need to check with the elders. I think it's a new evil. Whatever you guys do, don't vanquish him! We're trapped in magical cages. Every time that his magic gets stronger, the walls go wider. If it takes a hit, they start to close in._

Chris' voice clearly echoed through the Halliwells' minds. Piper sobbed, wishing for the first time that she could not only hear Chris telepathically, but answer him too.

Phyra closed her eyes and spoke aloud. "Chris, hold on. We're working on it. He wants the Power of Three. Instead he's going to feel their wrath. Keep us posted."

"Phy, you know he can't hear you. Why are you doing that? Let Leo answer him, he's the only one that can." Paige admonished huffily.

_HOLY… PHY? Is that you? You're telepathic now?_ Chris and Wyatt's voices were loud and astonished in their families minds.

"WOOHOO! I got a new power! YEAH!"Phyra started to dance around a little.

_PHY! Stop transmitting to us. We get it. _Wyatt's voice answered her, annoyed.

Phyra stopped dancing. "Oops. I don't know how! I don't know how I even did it the first time!"

Chris' dry laughter echoed. _Don't worry about it. Just keep working on getting us out of here. We'll help you with your power later. Hurry, you guys. He's looking pretty antsy._

"We will Chris. I promise" Phyra answered him.

Leo sent a message to Wyatt and Chris only. _I'm going to go check 'Up There'. You two be careful, you hear? _He orbed away at their agreement.

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"Ok, so there has to be something in the book, right?" Maya asked nervously. She wasn't family yet, and couldn't hear Chris & Wyatt's transmissions to the family. The connection was one of the reasons Chris and she would have two weddings, one a legal state ceremony and one a hand fast ritual. The hand fast automatically sealed them together as family, and allowed the Halliwell magic to include her.

"Not about the demon itself. If Chris doesn't know who this demon is, then he's not in the book." Patience stated confidently.

"So why are you still looking in it?" Maya questioned urgently. "Shouldn't we be mixing potions or writing spells or something?"

"Maya…relax, okay? We are doing all of that too. But there might be something in the book about the cages that Chris and Wyatt are in. If we can find a way to neutralize the cages, then we can vanquish the demon and save them." It was Phoebe who answered her this time.

Abby walked over to Maya, and hugged her quickly. "It's hard, huh? The waiting I mean? They'll be okay, we'd know if they were hurt or worse." She glanced around the attic, and pulled Maya into a quiet corner. "Listen, I know they're working to figure this out to keep Chris and Wyatt safe. But just in case, I want to promise you something. If we don't get our fiancée's back; and I mean whole and in good health; then we go on a demon killing spree that starts with the asshole who took them. Are you with me?"

"No, she is not! Abby, what are you thinking? You can't just go off on a demon hunt by yourselves! Especially not now while my sons-your fiancées- are missing!" Piper walked in, overhearing only the last part of Abby's question.

"Piper, we weren't talking about now. We're just making some future plans, that's all." Maya answered firmly.

"Future plans that include a random demon killing spree? Absolutely not, it's too dangerous. None of us even do that, and do you know why? Because demons are tricky, and you have to have the proper research and background in order to vanquish them, or they will vanquish you. Just going to the Underworld randomly is stupid, reckless and dangerous. Not to mention suicidal." Piper raged at the girls, completely unaware that Wyatt and Chris had done just what she was preaching against.

"You know what Piper? We might not be Halliwells. We may not have the Power of Three or be Twice or Thrice Blessed. We may not have Excalibur at our sides or an elder to reference at any time. But we are still damn good witches. We aren't afraid of what might happen to us. And furthermore, this plan…it's only going to happen if we fail in saving them. But mark my words, Piper. If they don't come back to us; if _our _men die, then the Underworld better look out. Because like the cliché says, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'" Abby stared Piper in the eyes, not flinching away at the flash of anger in her future mother in law's eyes.

Piper glared for a few seconds, and then finally her eyes softened a bit. "I guess we'll just have to work extra hard now then, huh? So that _your_ men will be able to come home to the family that loves them." Piper put the same emphasis on the word 'your' that Abby had before. It was the first time she truly understood why Wyatt was so infatuated with the young witch. She'd always seemed pleasant enough, but this was the first time that Piper had ever seen the fire that lurked below Abby's cool exterior. She liked it.

Piper's thoughts were cut off by the sound of Leo's orbs entering the attic. "I know who has Chris and Wyatt, and we've got a big problem."

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**A/N: Sorry for the lack of Chris & Wyatt in this chapter. I had some stuff I needed to get out of the way for future chapters. More of them in the next one, I promise!**


	3. Nogard

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad everyone likes it so far. But pretty, please… review, ok! It really helps to figure out where the story is headed. Okay, enough begging for reviews… on with the story!**

**P.S. Just a technical point here. Anything in italics is a thought that is being sent between the family. If it's in quotation marks, then it's also being said aloud.**

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"Big problems? Are there any other kind in this family?" Paige snorted sarcastically.

"Pipe down!" Piper cast an annoyed glare at her sister. "What did you find Leo?"

"Well, I've got good news and bad news. Which would you rather have first?"

"Whichever will get our boys back faster, Leo. Stop playing with us, and tell me the truth!"

"Piper… the truth is I know who the demon is. You guys have heard of the Hounds of Hell right?" Leo paused as blank faces gazed back at him expectantly. "God, I miss Chris right now. He's the only one who truly appreciates demon history." He muttered under his breath. "The hounds of hell… they are the group of demons that chase down souls to be sent to Hell. You know the old saying, the hounds of hell are nipping at your heels? This is where it comes from. These demons are a pack force that works directly for Satan."

"Satan? Wait, a second. Satan is real?" Phoebe did a double take.

"Phoebe! You've seen every type of evil there is. How could you doubt that there is a Satan?" Leo asked exasperated.

"Well, I guess I just figured that with all the other 'big bads' out there, Satan was kind of just a myth made up out of all the bad that they all did. Sor—ry." She added snottily in a tone so reminiscent of Chris that everyone started to chuckle.

"So this demon is a Hound of Hell?" Piper asked, bringing everyone back on subject.

"Not exactly. This demon was supposed to become one of the Hounds of Hell. He had all the training and was raised for just such a purpose. But when the time came to take his initiation into the order, he defected. He's a loose cannon; a broken arrow to use military terminology."

"So who exactly is it we're looking for?" Paisley asked, rubbing her stomach unconsciously.

"His name is Nogard. He was special to the Hounds because he possessed more powers than most of them. He came from an ancient line of evil magic. They have witch, demon and dragon powers. Each descendant that is created in their family line has one of the powers, but not all three. Their family has a prophecy, much like the Halliwell prophecy. The sixth son of a sixth son born in conjunction with the blue moon will have all the family's powers, and every full moon those powers are magnified to super charge this being's powers. Nogard is the sixth son of a sixth son and he was born during the blue moon. He has witch powers, he has demon powers and the most dangerous part, and he has dragon powers."

Piper closed her eyes tightly, shutting out the images flooding her brain. She took a deep breath. "So, you're telling me that our boys are with this rogue agent from the Hounds of Hell that is not only trained to dispatch souls to Hell for Satan, but can breathe fire? Wonderful! So what's your good news?"

Leo stayed silent for a heartbeat. "That, um, was the good news."

"How much worse can it really get Leo?" she asked curtly.

"Dragons are highly prized magical beings. The elders don't want them killed, so they've put a magical protection on all beings with dragon powers. They can't be vanquished. We can't beat him."

"_BULLSHIT!"_ Phyra screamed. "_We'll figure it out. We aren't going to just give up on them, Uncle Leo. I don't care if I have to kill the damn dragon myself. He is not taking them away."_ Her voice was full of bravado and rang with conviction.

_Ummm, Phy? Did you just say dragon?_

_Nah… Chris, she said 'nagging'. Aunt Paige must be bugging her about homework again._

_No, Wyatt, I clearly heard dragon._

"_That's right. I said dragon. That's who has you. He's a former member of the Hounds of Hell, now a rogue agent."_ Phyra said aloud, bringing Wyatt & Chris up to date.

_The Hounds of Hell? That can't be right. They're an internal group. They aren't demonic, they just collect souls. Neutral beings like the Angel of Death._

"No_, Chris. His name is Nogard. He trained with the Hounds of Hell, but defected before he actually joined them. He's super powerful. He'll only get stronger too, because the full moon is in two days._" Leo spoke aloud, using his white lighter ability to send the thoughts to Chris and Wyatt at the same time he spoke to everyone in the attic.

_The full moon? Damn. Dad, is he the prophesied one?_

"Yeah, Chris. He is."

_What was Phy so upset about? Something about giving up on us?_

"_Wy, the Elders put a magical protection spell on all dragons because they're so highly prized. Uncle Leo just said that we can't vanquish it! If we can't vanquish it, how are we supposed to save you?"_ Phyra's eyes filled with tears.

_Phy…stop it. There's no crying in magic, remember?_

Wyatt's voice teased her, reminding her of her first day at Magic School when an older boy had looked up her skirt. Wyatt had picked her up, wiped her tears, told her there was no crying in magic, and then had shown her how to channel her fire power to encircle the boy in a ring of fire until he promised never to do it again.

"_Ok, Wy. So do either of you have any ideas?"_

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Chris looked at his brother through the bars of his cage. Wyatt stared back at him just as silently.

_Hello? Is my power gone or something? Answer me! Do you guys have any ideas?_ Phyra's voice was insistent and worried in their minds.

_Yeah, Phy. Get to work on a potion to neutralize these cage walls. If you can destroy the cage, then we'll be free and won't have to worry about a dragon vanquish._ Chris sent his thoughts out, fully aware that the cage was most likely magic proof, and wouldn't be easy to dismantle.

"Hello my little puppets. Tell me, how does it feel knowing that you are going to be responsible for the destruction of your family?"

"Hello, Nogard. How do _you_ feel knowing that you'll be the first dragon in centuries to be killed?" Chris responded pleasantly. He watched happily as Nogard's face darkened and filled with rage.

"How do you know me? And how do you presume to kill me? I am unstoppable." He sent a fireball flying at the cage Wyatt was in. The evil power penetrated the cage, and Wyatt ducked to avoid being hit.

Wyatt laughed humorlessly. "Didn't you know? You've captured the walking, talking demon dictionary. There's nothing Chris doesn't know about evil."

"No one knows that much about evil. No one knows that much about me."

"I do. I know that you're the sixth son of the sixth son born on the blue moon. I know that you are the prophesied one. The one that has all three of your families' powers." Chris recited it in a flat, bored tone.

"SHUT. UP." Nogard roared, flames coming from his nostrils, before being quickly extinguished. "It doesn't matter what you know. Either way, you will die. I will have the Power of Three. It will only serve as an extra power boost to my already unlimited supply. Then I will not only be the prophesied one, but the true and rightful Source of All Evil."

"You'll be nothing. Nothing except an extinguished flame. Let us out now, while you still have a chance. You don't want our family here in your lair. They will destroy you and it." Wyatt threatened in a low growl.

"You can't vanquish me. I'm a dragon. Your very own elders protect me. Or didn't you know?" Nogard sneered at both brothers. "Your father in an elder, isn't he? Ironic, how he's going to be blamed by your family for the choice they have to make."

"We know all we need to know. _There is no power stronger than that of the Halliwell line. There are no witches smarter, faster, more capable or more powerful than our family. They will get us out of here. And when they do, they will crush you; dragon or not._" Chris sent the thought telepathically to his family as he shouted it at Nogard.

"_Chris is right. You think that's just hype. Well you just wait and see. Our family is going to come charging in here, guns blazing and potions flying. See you made a major mistake. If all you wanted was the Power of Three, you should have attacked them like every other demon. The fact that you were dragon may have saved you then. It won't save you now. Now you've pissed off the most powerful witches in history. So I've only got one question. How fast can you run?"_ Wyatt's voice was cocky and sure, taunting the dragon.

"Faster than you can save yourselves. There is only one way to get inside those cages; Pure evil. Do you know anyone who is purely and completely evil? Well, anyone who would be willing to save you that is? Face it. You will die here, just like the rest of your family." Nogard flickered out with his statement.

Chris and Wyatt stared at each other for a second. _Do we know any demons who might be interested in working out a deal?_

_What about Cole? Or Maya? They both have demon blood; either should be able to penetrate an evil barrier. _Leo's voice immediately responded.

_No! No, this has to be pure evil. If there's any good in this demon, the cage will repel it, I'm sure of it. We need a full-fledged demon; one that has no conscience or moral code._ Chris answered quickly.

"_Crap! Too bad you got rid of Barbas a couple months ago. He'd be perfect!" _ Phyra's sarcasm shone through even telepathically. _"Or, I know how about we go on the internet and look up demonic beings for hire! Cuz, so many demons are going to want to help US!"_

Chris and Wyatt stared at each other for a few seconds.

_Phy, you're awesome. We need a Phoenix. They are evil witches for hire! They generally don't care who they work for as long as they get paid._

Leo instantly started to reject the plan. _"No way, Chris. There are so many variables there. Double crosses, outright refusal to help us, the possibility that they're already working for someone trying to rid the world of the Charmed Ones… we can't risk it."_ Leo hesitated. _"Did you forget about the last time you dealt with a Phoenix, Chris? She bound your powers and took you back to your other future. This isn't an option we want to explore right now."_

Chris trained his eyes above his head staring up at the ceiling. _That was a different time, Dad. It was a different circumstance. I know you guys didn't trust her, but Bianca…she wasn't all bad. She had no choice but to double cross me. She paid for it, remember. She paid with her life. But we're not talking about Bianca. We're talking about your average Phoenix. And the average Phoenix is just a magical hit man for hire. It's a risk I'm willing to take._


	4. Old School Witches

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews again! I appreciate your thoughts SO much!**

**Nevair- Don't worry. Bianca will NOT be in this story. She might be mentioned just for her previous history, but she will not be making an appearance. As far the dragon… I guess you'll have to read to find out! LOL**

**embry- Thanks a lot! Glad you liked it!**

**Altaira- Oh my God! Warn me before you say something like that next time. I had just taken a drink, and snorted soda up my nose! You are hilarious!**

**Okay, general consensus on the reviews is that the Elders are a bunch of morons. That is so true!**

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"Phoenix witches, phoenix witches… I don't see it here in the book, you guys!" Patience cried out impatiently.

"They're with the entry about Ms. Hellfire. We put all the assassins together." Phoebe called from across the room. She and Paisley were working on a summoning spell for the Phoenix.

"Got it! Phoenix Witches are an evil team of assassins who look and act like humans. They would fit into any crowd, with their only distinguishing mark being a small red bird on their wrists. They work indiscriminately, for good or evil depending on which has a higher payout for a particular job."

"Aunt Phoebe, what are we going to pay them with?" Peyton asked nervously. It was fairly common knowledge that, while the Halliwells were far from poor, they didn't have tons of spare cash lying around.

"Your Aunt Piper is taking care of it, Pey. She's gone to take a small loan out. She should be back any minute." Phoebe answered carefully. In truth, Piper had gone to the bank to put a second mortgage on P3. The sister's all knew the Phoenix witches didn't work cheaply, however, it was worth it to get Wyatt and Chris back safely.

Piper and Leo orbed into the attic. "Well?" Phoebe asked.

"I got it." Piper answered quickly. "Do you have the summoning spell done for them yet?"

"Yeah, it's all set, Aunt Piper." Paisley answered.

"Does Phy have a potion ready just in case the witch decides to turn on us?"

"Right here!" Phyra held up a skinny bottle filled with yellow liquid.

"Okay, then. Let's do this. I want my boys back. I'm going to hug them, then I'm going to kiss them, then I'm going to wring their necks for putting me through this!" Nobody said anything at the proclamation. The likelihood of Piper actually even trying to harm her kids was as ridiculous as the Elders orbing down from 'Up There' en masse in purple tutus to dance Swan Lake.

"Well, here goes then." Paisley took a deep breath, and started to speak.

** Witches now, witches then,**

** Bring a Phoenix from her den.**

** We need your help, a job for you**

** Save my cousins from being dragon chew.**

"Dragon chew! I asked for a serious spell you guys! How dare y…" Piper's furious rant broke off as a Phoenix suddenly appeared in the center of the circle of candles.

"Did I hear someone offer a job?"

"We need you to go and retrieve two witches for us. They are being held in magical cages that only a messenger of pure evil can breach. We are prepared to pay you to go and get them for us." Piper's voice was flat as she addressed the brown haired assassin.

The Phoenix looked around the attic alertly. "The only two witches missing from your coven are the two most powerful. The Twice and Thrice Blessed. Are they the ones that you want retrieved?"

Leo nodded, "they are".

"My fee is $1,000,000.00. Half up front. Half when I bring them back." The Phoenix's voice was cold and unemotional.

"A million dollars? Are you crazy?" Piper burst out.

"It takes an extremely powerful evil magic to capture to witches as strong as they. It stands to reason that there will be tricks to keep them inside the cages. Besides, isn't it humans that say that you can't put a price on life?"

"That's true, but we don't have a million dollars. Please, can't you just help us anyway? I have $250,000.00 today. I will pay you the rest, I swear." Piper was aware she was begging, but time was running out.

"No. I told you my fee. If you can't pay, that's not my problem." The Phoenix spoke coldly as she shimmered out.

Piper fell to her knees, tears running down her cheeks.

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_Do you have the Phoenix yet?_ Chris asked impatiently from his cage.

Leo's voice answered him silently. _The Phoenix will not be helping us, Chris. We have to think of something else. _

_WHAT? Why? You offered her the normal fee, right?_ Chris' voice was incredulous as it ripped through his families' minds.

_Chris, she didn't ask her normal fee. She wanted four times that, and…_ Leo couldn't finish the thought.

_And we don't have a million dollars. Its okay, Dad. We understand._ Wyatt finished Leo's thought. _We'll just have to come up with something else._

_Yeah…and fast. We don't have much time left. _Chris' somber thought sobered everyone quickly.

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"Wait a second! Uncle Leo…ask Chris and Wyatt if the cages they're in are made by demonic magic or dragon magic." Paisley suddenly spoke into the silence.

_Demonic, I think. Why? What difference does that make?_ Chris' voice answered after Leo had asked him.

"Well, I was just thinking. When Belthazor was around before, and my mom was engaged to him, she bound his demon half to make him human, right?"

"Yeah, but that's not going to work on a dragon, remember we can't hurt him." Phoebe answered her daughter sadly.

"But that's just it. We're not going to touch the dragon."

"So where are you going with this then, baby?" Ryan asked confused.

"Uncle Leo, you said that Nogard is part witch, part demon and part dragon, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"And Belthazor was part demon and part human, right?"

"Yeah." Phoebe's answer was slower this time.

"So if you can bind one demon's powers- especially one as powerful as Belthazor, then you can bind another set of demon powers."

"Yeah, but Paisley, that doesn't change the fact that we can't hurt a dragon."

"WE AREN'T TOUCHING THE DRAGON!" she screamed. She took a few breaths and started again. "The dragon will be fine. All we would be doing is taking some of the other powers that make him so strong away. Basically, we're going to do the same thing to him that the Elders did to you, mom. When you went to the Tribunal and they took away your active powers, you were still a witch. When you took Belthazor's powers away, he was fine. The only part of him that you took away was the demon in him."

"So, what you're saying, just so we all understand, is that you want to bind the demon part of the dragon's powers, but still leave the dragon itself unharmed?" Leo clarified.

"Yeah! Exactly."

"But what good is that going to do, even if we can figure out a way to do it without getting fried by his fire?" Patrick asked.

"Because if the cages are demonic, and we take away his demonic powers, then the cages disappear. Chris and Wyatt would be free!" Paisley crowed happily.

"_You know… that sounds like it might work!"_ Phyra nodded excitedly.

_What will work? Damn it, can someone up there keep us informed here?_ Chris' annoyance shone through with each word.

Leo quickly outlined Paisley's plan to Wyatt and Chris. _No! Absolutely not. You guys will never get close enough to throw the potion without getting fried! His fire will kill you before you even get to throw the potion._

"_Not necessarily, Chris. I have the power to control fire. If someone orbs down there with me, they can throw the potion while I deflect his fire. Once the potion works, the cages will disappear and we can all orb out before he has a chance to stop us!"_

_And what happens if when you vanquish the demon that will be enough to make the cages implode?_ Wyatt's calm question stopped Paisley and Phyra in their tracks.

"I could probably orb the explosions away from them." Paige offered, biting her lip nervously. "Maybe, anyway."

"I can't risk my kids' lives on a maybe, Paige!" Piper yelled.

_Mom, if you have a better idea, we'll listen. But for now, this is all we've got. And we have to try something._ Leo had been broadcasting the conversation to Wyatt & Chris.

"If we can't come up with something else, then we'll have to just give him what he wants. We'll give him the Power of Three." Piper's voice was bleak, but determined.

_OVER MY DEAD, ROTTING BODY!_ Wyatt and Chris yelled in unison to their family.

_Hell, no, Mom. No you are not sacrificing yourself for us. We got ourselves into this by being stupid. You are not going to give evil that much of an edge. _Chris paused for a second. _I lived without you in my life before, remember? You sacrificed yourself then for me. It's not going to happen in this life too. Not for me. _

Wyatt broke into his brother's speech. _Not for me either, Mom. Just like you've been saying ever since Chris got engaged, we're all grown up now. We can make the tough decisions for ourselves. The world needs the Power of Three. Hell, our family needs the Power of Three, or at least the women that make the Power of Three. _

_We'll try Paisley and Phy's plan. Bring Aunt Paige and Patrick with you, Phy. Aunt Paige can try to orb the explosions away if there are any, and Pat can super speed to us, to try to help propel us out of the way, while Phy holds off Nogard's fire. _Wyatt nodded at Chris' acceptance of the plan.

Wyatt tried to inject a little humor. _Besides, Mom. All we have to do is not die. If we're broke up a little, Dad can heal that! No biggie. _

"No biggie." Piper muttered. "You two had better not die. If you do, I swear on every Wiccan power I have, I will bring you back, and you'll wish you'd never ever even tried such a stupid stunt."

"Listen, I hate to be the one to put a damper on this party, but the Belthazor potion required a piece of his flesh. We don't have a piece of Nogard's flesh, so how do we make the potion?" Patience asked.

"I guess I could use my super speed to get a piece of flesh, but wouldn't he go directly to Chris & Wyatt and kill them?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah, he would. He's too smart for that. We need to have something with his DNA in it that he doesn't know we have. How are we going to do that?" Leo rubbed his head in frustration.

"We could orb to his cave and see if there are any scales or something lying around that he's shed." Peyton offered.

_No! He flickers in quickly. If any of you are here when he comes back without the potion, then you'll just be captured with us. _Chris answered quickly, not even wanting to think about that possibility.

"Then how are we going to get anything?" Phyra cried out.

Piper looked up slowly from her spot on the floor. In her hands, she held Chris' bloody shirt like a lifeline. "Would a claw nail work?" she asked softly, picking a hard nail from the neckline of Chris' shirt.


	5. One Less Halliwell

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I couldn't sign on to my account on Friday and yesterday was just a busy day. Anyway…hopefully I'll be back my regular daily weekday updates if all goes right.**

**JadeAlmasy- Thanks for reviewing! I was wondering where you'd been. Hopefully Wilma was the hurricane for awhile, at least. Glad to have you back!**

**Altaira- Yes! I finally made someone laugh! Woohoo! I'll put this warning on just for you, ok? _Eating tic tacs while reading this story may be hazardous to your health._ LOL**

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"Ok, Aunt Piper. Ready for the claw now." Phyra said as she mixed her pot of potion on the stove.

Piper held the claw nail away from her body, dropping it carefully into the bubbling pot. Instantly a blast erupted and a plume of smoke shot up from the pot. "It's done!" Phyra called out cheerfully. She pulled out a round potion bottle, her favorite kind because of the way it fit in her hand, and carefully ladled the potion into it.

"HEY! We're ready! Let's go get Wyatt & Chris!" She yelled at the ceiling. Paige and Patrick orbed into the kitchen with Phoebe and Paisley.

"Wait a second, Phy. We've got a little tweak to the plan. See Paisley and Phoebe have a spell to separate the powers of the dragon. That way we'll be doubly covered with the elders as far as harming a dragon. If we separate his powers into three separate entities, then we don't have to bother with the dragon, just with the demon and witch part. Then they made another spell to bind the witch part's powers. The best part of that is that it's not a Power of Three spell. Any one of the Charmed Ones can do it, so I'll read it as you're holding the dragon's fire and Patrick hits the demon with your potion. That way all we'll have left is a dragon, not a demon-witch-dragon." Paige explained quickly.

"But how is the spell to separate the powers going to work? I'm guessing that is a Power of Three spell, right?" Phyra asked slowly.

"Yeah, but we'll just cast it right before we orb. It should work ok. I mean, the spell specifically mentions the dragon's lair, so it won't work on just any demon."

Phyra nodded. "Alright, but let's hurry. Chris and Wyatt are getting annoyed. They want out of those cages. Plus our time is running out."

Paige ran her hand lovingly over her daughter's head. "I know, sweetie. They'll be okay."

Paige shared a glance with her sisters, and at their nods, walked over to them, and they read in unison:

_ Mixed breed in the demon's lair,_

_ Deal with witches, you should beware._

_ Split the types, separate the power,_

_ Do it by the end of this hour._

_ Let dragon be safe, the rest set free,_

_ To learn not to mess with the Power of Three._

"Ok, seriously, you guys. We really need to work on some more serious spells here!" Piper griped aloud as Paige, Phyra and Patrick orbed to Nogard's lair.

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"Hello. So nice of you to join us." Nogard said pleasantly as their orbs touched down. "I presume to bring me the Power of Three?"

"Absolutely." Phyra smiled. "It's right here in this bottle." Phyra threw the bottle as hard as she could, smashing it on Nogard's chest. Nogard instantly fell to the floor as he was gripped with a pain that felt like he was being torn apart. Chris and Wyatt also fell to the floors of their cages.

Nogard reformed into three separate beings, a demon, a dragon and a witch. The demon had a hole in its chest, oozing and sizzling as the potion ate away at his flesh. He started to form an energy ball only to have it fizzle out on his hand as he crumbled into dust. The cages Chris and Wyatt were in erupted with a loud BANG! Patrick ran using his speed to knock Chris and Wyatt back to the walls of the cage. The dragon screamed with a hiss of rage and instantly shot fire out of his nose. Phyra deflected it by holding up both hands and sending it towards the floor, harmlessly extinguishing it on the rocks.

_ Witch powers of Nogard,_

_ White magic has been marred._

_ Bind them fast, hold them tight,_

_ Till he meets his eternal light._

Paige quickly read the spell, effectively binding Nogard's witch powers.

Phyra cried out, "I can't hold this much longer! Hurry, we've got to go!" Her hands wavered, at the power of holding back Nogard's fire.

Nogard screamed in rage, and turned quickly, aiming his fire towards Patrick, Chris and Wyatt on the other side of the cave. "NO!" Phyra screamed, trying to deflect the flames away from her cousins. Her powers slowed the flames, but didn't stop them, as she had used too much of her powers trying to deflect them earlier. Patrick dove in front of Chris, letting the stream of fire hit him.

"Patrick! Patrick, NO!" Chris screamed, trying to beat out the fire that enveloped his younger cousin.

"ORB HIM TO PEYTON!" Phyra screamed. Wyatt wrapped his arms around both Chris and Patrick and orbed to the manor. Paige and Phyra quickly followed, leaving what was left of Nogard in a furious rage in his cave.

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"Peyton! Quick, put out the fire!" Wyatt yelled as before the orbs stopped. Peyton gasped at the sight of her cousin engulfed in flames. "PEYTON! NOW!" Wyatt roared. Peyton quickly raised her palms and created a waterfall over Patrick, extinguishing the flames.

Wyatt immediately put his hands over Patrick's charred skin and waited for the healing to begin. The familiar golden glow started weakly then quit. "What the hell? Chris! Quick, you try."

Chris laid his hands over Patrick, to the same result. "Our powers aren't working. Dad! Aunt Paige! You guys try." Chris ordered harshly.

Leo looked at Paige quickly sharing a glance at her. "Chris, you know we can't heal what already gone."

Chris' eyes filled with tears. "Please, Dad. Please, just try. Please! Maybe it's just us because of being in the cave so long."

Leo knelt down and nodded. Paige knelt next to him and both tried to heal together. No light shone from either of their hands.

"NO! No! No, not Patrick. NO! My baby…boy..." Phoebe cried out brokenly, falling down onto the floor, cradling her son in her lap. She glared at her sister and nephews. "Try again! Try to heal him again! You brought him there, now you bring him back. TRY AGAIN!" She screamed, rocking in place.

"Aunt Phoebe… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I…I thought I could…keep him safe. Instead, he… he…k…kept me…s…sa…safe. I'm so sssorry. "Chris stuttered, tears running down his face as he stared at his aunt cradling his cousin's lifeless form.

"Oh, sweetie, it's not your fault, Chris." Piper gathered her son in a hug. "It's not your fault. It's Nogard's fault. Not yours, never, never yours." She held tight, hugging him close like she had when he had been plagued with nightmares after his first demon vanquish at four years old.

"Patty…Pat… Come on. This isn't funny. Come on, wake up little brother. Please? Please, wake up. Please? Please?" Paisley dropped to her knees next to her mother. Her voice was stuffy with unshed tears.

Wyatt gently moved Paisley out of the way. He raised his hands over Patrick again. He murmured under his breath. "Come on. Please, c'mon. We never ask for anything from you people. Please… please work… please." He clenched his hands into fists at his sides as no lights appeared. "Ch…Chris… Come on. Try with me. Maybe together…"

Chris broke away from Piper's hold, and knelt beside his brother. Wordlessly, they both tried together to heal Patrick's body. Again, no healing lights came through. They continued the process over and over again.

Patience slowly weaved her way through her crying family to look down at her brother. "Stop." She touched Wyatt on the shoulder. "Stop it. You can't heal the…dead. He's gone. You're just killing yourselves trying to bring him back. It's not going to work." He nodded weakly, and finally gave up, sitting hard onto the floor, never taking his gaze off his cousin.

"Chris, c'mon. Stop it. We already lost Patrick… we need you. Chris, just stop it!" She finally shook his shoulder when he showed no signs of quitting. His hands were still laid out over Patrick, trying with every bit of magical power in him to will it to work. Patience instantly got a premonition off his shoulder.

_ Nogard screamed in rage, and turned quickly, aiming his fire towards Patrick, Chris and Wyatt on the other side of thecave. "NO!" Phyra screamed, trying to deflect the flames away from her cousins. Her powers slowed the flames, but didn't stop them, as she had used too much of her powers trying to deflect them earlier. Patrick dove in front of Chris, letting the stream of fire hit him._

As quickly as that one ended, another came over her.

_ Chris looked over his shoulder, making sure the attic was empty. He grabbed the chunk of chalk off the trunk, anddrew a triquetra on the wall. "Don't worry Aunt Phoebe. I'll get your baby back." he whispered softly._

"_Hear these words, hear the rhyme.  
Heed the hope within my mind.  
Send me back to where I'll find,  
What I wish in place and time." _(A/N: this spell is from Chris-Crossed.)

"Chris! You can't!" Patience gasped.

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The police had already left, taking their statements. Phyra had gone outside and blown up Patrick's car with her fire power, after Wyatt had crashed it into a tree while astral projecting, making Patrick's death look like he had died in a horrific car crash. Phoebe had gone up to her room to lay down, not able to handle anything else. Paisley was gone with Ryan to try and relax. The rest of the family was trying to talk Chris out of changing the past.

"No! Absolutely not, Chris! You are not going to the past to save Patrick. It sounds harsh, but if he was meant to die, we can't mess with that. You can't play God, Chris." Piper lectured.

"I can save him, Mom. All I have to do is not be stupid this time around. I go in, warn myself not to go demon hunting unprepared or someone I love will die. Then I send myself back here. Simple." Chris argued, warming to the idea of changing the past few hours.

"Chris, she's right. As much as I want 'Trick back, you can't just mess with the timeline." Patience interjected softly.

"How can you say that, Patience? Don't you want your brother back?" Chris asked coldly.

Patience slapped him hard across the face. "Don't you EVER say anything like that to me again! If it was just me that would be at risk by sending you back, I'd tell you to do it in a heartbeat. But it's not just me. You go back, and Lord only knows what kind of time rifts you'll cause. Maybe if you don't go with him, Wyatt would go alone, and he'd be the one fried up and in the morgue, then good magic would be without the Twice Blessed. Maybe the Charmed Ones would all be dead because they'd have to face Nogard in his most powerful form, because you and Wy didn't get caught and we didn't separate his powers. There are so many things that could happen, and all of them bad, Chris! And there's also the chance that when you appear someone wouldn't wait to see who it is coming in and just vanquishes you before you get a chance to explain why you're there. Then what happens, huh? We still have Patrick dead and you too. NO! No more!" She screamed, finally letting the tears she'd been holding in flow freely down her face.

Chris immediately took her in his arms, hugging her close.

"I need you to promise me, Chris. Promise you won't try to change this." Patience cried brokenly into his shoulder.

Chris sighed. "I promise. I won't go back and change things." Chris broke down, and sobbed, still holding Patience tightly. Wyatt orbed out, not able to handle watching his family tearing apart any longer because of his own cockiness.


	6. Placing Blame

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Please let me know if you guys like the way this story is going. I'm always open to suggestions, and if you'd like to see something happen, let me know! I'll see what I can do to put it in.**

**TVCrazed- Wow! A new reviewer! Thanks so much for reviewing. I appreciate it!**

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Phoebe walked down the stairs quietly. Leo and Piper looked up from their place on the couch, where they had been sitting and holding each other.

"How're you doing, Pheebs?" Piper asked her sister softly.

"Um… not too good. I just thought though…I need to tell Les. Leo, do you think you could go get him for me? He deserves to know about this in person. I can't just call him and tell him his son is dead." Phoebe's voice quivered over the word dead and fresh tears welled in her eyes.

"Honey, are you sure you want to do this now?" Piper got up, and put her arms around her sister.

"I don't want to. I don't ever want to tell him, but I have to. I have to tell him right now. He's Patrick's father. He deserves to know." Phoebe whispered hoarsely.

Piper grumbled under her breath. "Not that you'd know it the past few months." Ever since Les had moved out and he and Phoebe had divorced, he hadn't bothered to see his kids.

"Piper…he's still his father. Leo, can you please go get him for me?" Phoebe touched her brother-in-law's worried face. "Wouldn't you want to know?"

Leo's face cleared a little, and without a word, he orbed to Les' house.

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Wyatt stood atop the Golden Gate Bridge staring into the ocean. He hadn't moved since he'd first orbed there three hours earlier. Incoming orbs sounded behind him.

"Leave me alone, Chris." he said without turning around.

"It's not Chris." Phyra answered softly. Wyatt turned to see his youngest cousin behind him carrying his jacket, a thermos and her backpack.

"Phy, what are you doing up here?" he asked tiredly.

"I sensed you. And I figured you must be getting cold and maybe hungry by now." She held out his jacket.

Wyatt half-smiled. "Thanks. So, what's in the thermos?"

"Hot chocolate. I made it with extra marshmallows. Just the way you like it." She handed him the thermos after watching him pull on the jacket. "Are you hungry? I made you a couple of sandwiches, and brought some chips and Snickers bars."

"No, Phy. Thanks though. I'm not hungry right now."

"No one is. You're up here by yourself. Mom and Dad are with Peyton. She feels bad because she hesitated when you told her to use her power. Chris won't talk to anyone; he and Patience just keep staring at each other and crying. Aunt Phoebe is stuck up in her room. Paisley and Ryan left; I don't know where they are. Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo are just sitting on the couch, hugging each other."

"What about you? What are you doing?" Wyatt asked, actually looking closely at his cousin for the first time. "And for that matter, since when can you sense me?"

"It just happened. Just like the telepathy. Not that that turned out the way it should have." Phyra's voice was sad and solemn.

_Besides, what good is having powers if you can't save the people you love? What good is saving innocents, if you can't save your family?_

Wyatt read her thoughts easily, just like he always had with Chris. "Phy…sweetheart, it's not your fault Patrick is dead. Your powers kept Chris and me safe. They kept your mom safe. Patrick died because a demon killed him. It's got nothing to do with you."

Phyra shrugged. "I'm the one that couldn't hold his fire anymore. He was just…so much stronger than I thought." She looked down at her feet. "I couldn't stop him from getting you." Her voice was hoarse and tortured.

"No, no, no… Phy. You're wrong. You did your part. You held him off long enough for the demon and witch parts to be taken care of. We should have orbed out with Patrick right away, as soon as we were free. We should have orbed away once we saw him turn towards us. Hell, Chris and I never should have been there to start with. We were stupid, cocky and careless. If we hadn't been, then none of what you did would have mattered to start with. The three of you were there to protect us. It never will be that way again, Phy. I promise you. You'll never have to be the one protecting us. As long as I live, Phy, we'll be the ones protecting you."

Wyatt pulled Phy onto his lap, and they both sat atop the Bridge, crying and staring out over the bay.

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Leo orbed back into the living room with an annoyed Les. "Jesus Christ, Phoebe. I told you I wanted out of this magical circus. How dare you have Captain Spock here come and bring me through his magical mystery tour here? Haven't you heard of a telephone if you needed me that badly?"

"You big jerk! Can't you see she's upset? That she's scared? You were married for 17 years, Les! Don't you know her at all? And its Captain _Kirk_, you moron!" Piper fumed, as she stomped out with Leo close behind.

"Les, you better sit down. I've got bad news." Phoebe patted the couch next to her.

"Look, just tell me whatever it is. I've got a deadline, you know. Some of us are sick and tired of using that lame-ass family emergency excuse." Les snapped.

"It's not going to be an excuse this time, Les. It's Patrick. He, uh… you see, there was a demon…"

"Oh great, what did, the idiot get kidnapped again?" Les asked coldly.

Phoebe started to cry. "You asshole! He died, okay, Les? He's gone. A dragon fried him, and he died!" her voice was shrill.

"You killed our son? You let him die? What the hell kind of mother are you? I told you when the kids were born. I wanted to bind their powers. But no, you said, it's their legacy, it's their birthright. We'll teach them how to use them. YOU KILLED MY SON!" Les screamed at Phoebe.

"I loved him! Where were you for the past 6 months, huh, Les? He died protecting the two most important men in his life; his cousins! Maybe if you'd been around once in awhile, he wouldn't have been quite as anxious to save the only two men that he ever wanted to be like." Phoebe's tears had vanished, and her voice was hard and bitter.

"Oh, right. This is all my fault, right? Well, say what you want, Phoebe, but magic is what killed my son. I'm not letting magic kill my daughters too. Go get the girls; they're coming home with me."

"No! No, you can't have them. They need to stay here where they're safe!"

"SAFE? My son just died under your 'safety'. The same thing isn't happening to my girls. And just who do you think is going to stop me from taking them, huh? Your weak peace-loving brother in law, Leo? Or maybe your almighty nephews? They are my kids… I'll do what I want, no matter what you want." Les raised his arm to slap Phoebe.

"If you do that, I will rip your head off and post it on a pike in the Underworld." Cole's voice was menacing and bristling with anger. "And I'll be the one to stop you from taking Paisley & Patience from her. Unlike anyone else in this family, I'm not bound by protecting innocents." Cole formed a fireball unconsciously in his hand.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Les yelled.

"My name is Cole Turner…but you can call me Balthazor. See Phoebe is my woman now. My fiancée again, and her kids are going to be my kids soon. You can go to hell, Les. As a matter of fact, I'll bring you there myself if you don't leave peacefully right now."

"I want to see my girls. We'll ask them. If they want to leave with me, then you can't stop them." Les' voice was more under control.

"You will…" Cole stopped as Phoebe touched his arm.

"No, Cole. He's right. He has a right to see the girls. We have to let them choose."

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Chris and Patience went into the living room together at Phoebe's call.

"Chris, I need you to go get Paisley and Ryan. Bring them back here, ok?" Phoebe asked in a strained voice.

Chris looked beyond her to where Cole and Les stood glaring at each other. "You sure you don't need me here, Aunt Phoebe?"

Phoebe forced a small chuckle. "We're okay here, Chris. Just go and get Paisley." Chris nodded quickly, closed his eyes for a second as he sensed for her position, and orbed out.

Patience saw her father standing behind Phoebe. "Daddy!" She yelled, running to him and hugging him tightly. "Did mom tell you…" her voice trailed off.

"She told me. Listen, I want you and Paisley to come and live with me at my house. I want to away from magic, where you'll be safe." Les said seriously.

"You can't do that! Uncle Les, they'll still be witches. Just completely unprotected witches. Aunt Phoebe, tell me you didn't agree to this!" Chris burst out, catching Les' words as he'd orbed in with Paisley and Ryan in toe.

"I want the girls happy, Chris. If they want to go with Les, then… they can. I'll still only be an orb away."

"I'm not leaving!" Paisley said heatedly. "I want my baby born here on the Nexus. I want her protected and safe, and I want her to have powers. I'm sorry, dad. But I don't want to leave the manor."

"A baby? Well, this is just great, Phoebe. How did this happen?" Les yelled at Phoebe angrily, not knowing about the pregnancy until now.

"Well, you see, when two people really love each other and decide to have a baby…" Cole started in a sing song voice, but stopped at Phoebe's censuring look.

"Daddy…I can't go with you either. Chris is right. I don't have any active powers, but I'm still the daughter of a Charmed One, and the target of demons. I need to be here, with Mom and Aunt Piper and Aunt Paige. Plus Chris and Wyatt are here. We all work together. You know that." Patience hesitantly explained to her father.

"Yeah… Wyatt and Chris, the almighty witches who killed my son!" Les yelled angrily. "You know what, Phoebe? Don't bother calling me the next time one of our kids gets killed. It's only a matter of time, and quite frankly, I'm already mourning them anyway." He pushed past Chris and Paisley, and slammed the door on his way out so hard the windows shook.

Cole snorted inelegantly. "Well… that was pleasant."

Patience started to cry again, and Chris immediately held her in his arms. "Shhh…. Its okay, honey. It's okay."

"No it's not, Chris! I lost my brother, and then my dad… who's next? How much worse can this get?"

"I'll still go and fix it all, if you want." Chris offered, still wanting to go back in time to save Patrick.

"No! You can't do that. It just… it hurts you know? Plus you wanna know the worst part? I could feel my dad's true emotions with my empathy. He wasn't devastated over Patrick, or hurt that Paisley and I wouldn't go with him. He was annoyed that Mom made him miss his deadline for a worthless son, pissed because Mom has Cole to keep her happy now, and infuriated that Paisley and I dared to defy him in front of everyone. He didn't even care!"

"He's not worth your tears, Patience." Cole touched her hair, unable to listen as she sobbed her heart out to Chris. "Look at me, okay?" He waited until she brought her tear filled, red eyes to his.

"Cry because you lost your brother. Cry because you missed out on years of life with him. But don't cry for your father. He made his own choices, ones that had nothing to do with you, your sister or your brother. Sooner or later, he'll realize what he's given up. And when he does, he'll have no one to blame for his misery than himself." Cole cleared his throat. "I'm not going to pretend I know what it feels like to lose a brother. I can't even imagine. But I know what it's like to love someone and think that you have no chance of ever getting them back. It hurts and it tears you up inside until you can't figure out who you are anymore. But all you have to do it rely on everyone here. The Halliwells are a family. A better family than most people ever dream of having. Everyone is here for you and just wants to help you."

"Everyone? Even you?" Patience asked curiously.

"Especially me. I'm gonna be here a lot more often, you know. I love your mother. Since I love her, I love all the parts of her, and that includes you and your sister. I wish I could have gotten to know Patrick, but…." Cole's voice trailed off.

"But I killed him before you could." Chris' voice was full of anguish, as he spoke for the first time since Les left. He orbed out as fast as he could.

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**A/N: HOLY SMOKES! Two updates in one day! I'm on fire! LOL**


	7. A Bridge Is Not A Home

**A/N: Well, I don't know if I'll be able to double update again today, but I will do my best! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. If all goes as planned, there's going to be one or maybe two more sad chapters then some happiness. Stick with me, I promise I won't depress anyone too much longer.**

**Altaira- Yeah, Cole is the best character for comic relief. Well, him and Phoebe too, I guess, but Cole is more fun to use.**

**Good Witch- I understand about life getting hectic. It's why I got 2 updates yesterday after none for like 4 days! Thanks for reviewing though. I appreciate it!**

**embry- I'll try to make them happier soon. Just stick with me, but I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

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Chris orbed to the Golden Gate Bridge blindly. As his orbs touched down, he heard Phyra and Wyatt talking quietly.

"What are you guys doing up here? I thought I'd be the only one up here." Chris sat down next to them on the support beam.

"Well, Chris, it's like this. We're throwing a little pity party here. See, we're fighting over who has more reason to feel guilty." Wyatt said dryly. Phyra nodded solemnly.

"You could have at least invited me. After all, I've got more reason than the both of you." Chris leaned back against the bridge's cables and sighed.

"Yeah, right, Chris. It was my powers that failed. I wasn't strong enough to hold Nogard's fire." Phyra accused softly. She looped her arms around her bent legs and hugged herself.

Wyatt reached over and pulled her into the circle of one arm. "I already told you, Phy, it's not your fault. I should have orbed us out as soon as we got out of those cages."

Chris snorted. "I've got you both beat. I'm the one that said to bring him with you in the first place. He wouldn't have even been there if it hadn't been for me."

"Does it really make a difference who's to blame? Patrick wouldn't want you three blaming yourselves." Leo's voice came from behind them.

"Dad, just leave us alone, okay? We're fine; we just…don't feel like dealing with the rest of the family right now." Wyatt got to his feet and looked at his father.

"Look, I was sent up here on a mission. Basically the mission is this; find our kids and bring them back- NOW. That is a direct quote from your mom. In case you didn't figure it out, this isn't the best time to cross her right now."

"Uncle Leo, we aren't doing anything wrong. I just can't face Aunt Phoebe right now. She'll blame me, I know she will." Phyra started to cry again.

"Phy, your Aunt Phoebe isn't blaming anyone. She understands that sometimes bad things just happen. Unfortunately, it's a risk that all of us parents let you kids take. We don't like it, in fact, we hate it. But when you have magical children, you have to trust that they are strong enough to handle it. Patrick died because of a dragon. It is as simple, and as complicated as that. Nogard is a dragon that cannot be touched, and he knows it. Nogard is no more special or cunning than any of the demons that you guys and your mom's have faced in the past. He just got lucky."

Leo looked at Chris and Wyatt. "There are a hundred little tiny things that might have changed what happened to Patrick. Maybe if he hadn't gone, if the power to hold his fire was stronger, if Piper had gone along to freeze the dragon part…but you know what? None of it matters, because there is nothing that says that if we had done those things, that it would have changed anything. Stop blaming yourselves."

"How can we help it, Dad? You heard Uncle Les. He was right; we are supposed to protect our cousins. They're younger and less experienced. We are supposed to protect them from demons. So why did Patrick protect us? Why was he put in danger for us?" Chris cried out.

"Patrick protected you two because he loved you. He protected you because he adored you. He protected you because he couldn't imagine a future without you in it. Your uncle is a moron, Chris. He's never understood magic or his family. He never understood that the one thing Patrick wanted more than anything was to be a witch as powerful as the Charmed Ones; as powerful as you two." Leo ignored his youngest son's grimace of distaste, and pulled him into a hug.

"All right! What the hell is going on here? What did, you people move and not leave a forwarding address?" Piper's impatient voice suddenly broke in. Paige and Phoebe stood on either side of her.

"Mom! Uh… we were just talking, that's all." Chris wiped his eyes quickly, and stepped back from Leo.

"Uh-huh…and you, you were supposed to bring them all back, remember? Not join their little colony up here!" Piper admonished Leo gently.

"Aunt Piper, it's just a nice place to think. And we all had a lot to think about, so we came up here. Individually, actually, we just kind of all ended up here by accident. Once we were here, I don't know, I guess it's just easier to talk up here." Phyra stumbled through an explanation.

"Look, guys, I know this is tough, okay? I still can't believe it's happened. But we need you guys at home. As hard as this is, we can't let ourselves think that just because we need a break because of Patrick, that the demons will let us. Actually, this is just the time that they'll attack most likely. Kick us when we're down and all." Phoebe answered.

Chris looked at Phoebe with cloudy green eyes. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her face was uncommonly devoid of any makeup. "I know, Aunt Phoebe. We'll go in a second. But first, even though everyone had told us different, Wy and me…we need to apologize. I know it's not enough. I know it won't bring him back, but I'm so sorry, Aunt Phoebe. I never meant for this to happen. And I'd give anything to change it." Tears were running down his cheeks again as he thought of his cheerful younger cousin.

"Oh, sweetie. Everyone is right. This isn't your fault. Not yours, or Wy's or Phy's or Peyton's…it's not mine either. This is Nogard's fault. Please don't blame yourselves. I know that you loved him… you would have done anything for him. He knew that too." Chris wrapped his petite aunt in a big hug. He looked up to see his mom and Aunt Paige both wiping tears away silently as they watched. Phoebe broke away, and knelt down to Phyra's level, hugging her next. Wyatt took a step back as Phoebe released Phyra.

"Hey! Get over here. You think you're special or something?" Phoebe joked.

"Nah… I'm just Twice Blessed." Wyatt grinned as the other occupants of the bridge groaned at his corny joke they'd all heard at least a hundred times. Wyatt opened his arms theatrically, and Phoebe gave a stifled chuckle, ran to his arms and hugged him tightly.

Chris snorted derisively. "And people say I'm the drama queen of the family."

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"The Charmed Ones stole from me. So I in turn stole from them. They took my powers, both demon and witch. So I took one of their children. A boy… a stupid little boy… Patrick I believe they called him. I have them scared. Now I want revenge!" Nogard screamed in rage at the various demons scattered around him.

"How do you propose to get revenge? You are trapped here in the Underworld now. You have no powers to get out with. Surely you don't intend on us doing your dirty work for you" a dark lighter asked snidely.

"How many of you have tried to kill the Charmed Ones or their progeny in the past twenty five years? The only other one to succeed was Shax, when he killed the eldest sister, Prue. Now I have killed one of the children. Losing a sister is bad enough, but a child as well. Phoebe is hanging on by a thread of sheer will only. Wouldn't you love to be the one that goes down in history as the one that kills the Power of Three for good?"

Murmurs of assent rippled through the small crowd of demons.

"How do we know for sure that Phoebe is so weak? Perhaps she is out for vengeance instead. If that is the case, then attacking now is suicide."

"Does this look like a family consumed with revenge?" Nogard nodded to the Seer who touched the pool and showed the hugging exchange on the Bridge.

"They are mourning. This is our chance. Plus, where are the other three girls? They must be at the manor; they left them unprotected. We go now. The little white lighter is mine." The dark lighter grinned evilly as he black orbed out. Five other demons followed quickly. Nogard's ecstatic laughter echoed through the Underworld.

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The dark lighter black orbed into the kitchen where Peyton, Paisley and Patience were starting to fix blueberry pancakes, the Halliwells version of comfort food.

"Well, well… Nogard was right, they left you all alone." He grinned and shot an arrow directly at Peyton's chest. She started to orb out, but the arrow caught her and dropped her down onto the ground. She groaned in pain, as Paisley flicked her hand and blew up the dark lighter using her baby's powers.

"WYATT, CHRIS, AUNT PAIGE, UNCLE LEO, PHY! SOMEONE! Quick!" Patience screamed up to the ceiling, naming all the healing white lighters in the family.

Five other demons shimmered in behind Paisley, and she screamed, as one demon with a large red plastic plate over one side of his face held an athame to her stomach.

The other demons surrounded Patience and Peyton as they started to close in.

"NO!" one of the demons holding Patience screamed as a fire ball hit him in the back, immediately vanquishing him.

"Look out!" Paisley screamed to Cole as an energy ball was aimed at his back. He shimmered out of the way, as the sounds of incoming orbs sounded. Chris immediately shot the energy ball back at the demon that had thrown it, killing it.

Wyatt orbed in behind the demon still holding his athame to Paisley's stomach. He grabbed the athame away, telekinetically sending it into the kitchen counter. Paige opened her hand and yelled "demon heart!" The demon's heart appeared on Paige's palm and the demon erupted in a wall of flames. Piper flicked her hands as she blew up one of the demons closest to her, while Chris and Leo finished the last two with two separate sets of elder bolts.

Patience ran to Peyton, and pulled out the dark lighter's arrow. "Quick, heal her!" she gasped.

Wyatt was closest, and laid his hands over her chest. His heart dropped as no healing lights appeared. "NO! No, not again." He laid his head down onto her chest and started to cry.

"Wy… Wy, look. It's working!" Chris yelled, seeing the familiar glow come from his brother's hands.

Wyatt raised his head, staring in amazement at the golden glow coming from his hands. "Did anyone ever realize what a miracle this is?" he asked softly, in a wondrous tone.

"I do know. Thanks, Wy." Peyton said raspily as she opened her eyes to see Wyatt kneeling over her.

"Anytime, Pey, anytime."

"What is going on here? Dark lighters and demons don't work together to attack. They attack separately." Piper looked around her formerly clean kitchen as if it would give her a sign.

"Nogard sent them. That's what the dark lighter said before he shot Pey. He said that you had left us alone, and that Nogard was right." Paisley giggled a little. "Course, they didn't plan on baby powers, or on Cole." She shot him a shy glance, "Thanks, by the way."

"Yeah, well as long as I don't get blown up by your baby or your Aunt, I'd be happy to help anytime." Cole said dryly.

"Wait, just a second. Nogard? Nogard is behind this?" Phoebe yelled.

"That's what the dark lighter said." Paisley shrugged.

"So this… dragon or whatever the hell he is, isn't happy with killing my son? He wants my daughters and my niece too? He can go to hell! I was mad before, now… well Hell hath no fury like a pissed off mother, I can tell you that." Phoebe stalked out of the kitchen, fury radiating off her in visible waves.

"Well, at least she's not crying anymore." Cole made a face, and walked after Phoebe.


	8. Keeping the Cosmic Balance

**A/N: Thanks again to all my reviewers. Those reviews are what urge me on to write faster…so thanks!**

**JadeAlmasy- I was kinda proud of that line, so I'm glad you liked it.**

**drew fuller is the best- First, I completely agree with your handle! And thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you like it.**

**Good Witch- That's right… don't piss off a mother. You'll see more of that in the next couple of chapters.**

**Altaira- Ok, I think that you are seriously starting to have a psychic link with me. You seem to know the plots I'm toying with before I do! As far as Les goes, well actually, I loved his character on the show. But he's kind of a dud to write about, and Cole is WAY more fun. So, I had to find a way to ditch him. Sorry if you were a Les fan!**

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Phoebe slammed the door to the attic open, and stalked angrily over to the Book of Shadows. She opened it with a bang, and started flipping pages.

Cole followed her into the attic tentatively. "Phoebe…what are you doing?"

"Finding a way to vanquish a dragon. Nogard isn't getting away with this. He's obviously still evil. The Charmed Ones vanquish evil. It's as simple as that."

"Phoebe, even I know that you aren't allowed to vanquish him. The elders protect dragons."

Phoebe whirled around and glared at Cole. "The elders should protect the people that need it most. They should protect the ones that have protected their Blessed asses for 25 years!"

"Phoebe, the elders have good reasons for their policy on dragons, I promise you." Leo's voice broke in as he walked into the attic.

"I'm sure you would think so, right? After all you are an elder." Phoebe said bitterly.

"That's not fair! I've been here everyday with you and your sisters. Your family is my family. You think I don't mourn Patrick? Huh, Phoebe? You think I don't understand your rage and pain?" Leo asked, hurt more deeply than he thought was possible.

"I think that no matter what I want, you are still going to side with your elder brothers and sisters, Leo. Disappointing me is so much easier than disappointing them after all." Phoebe's voice was tired.

Leo looked up as a jingling rang through his head. Phoebe snorted derisively. "See what I mean?" Leo just stared at her apologetically and orbed away.

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Leo orbed to the other elders. "What's up?" he asked brusquely. "I have a situation at home that I need to be there for."

"We are aware of your situation, Leo. Please, tell Phoebe that we regret the loss of young Patrick. However, in the scheme of things it was for the Greater Good." A younger elder named Thomas stated the phrase unemotionally.

"After all, if not for Patrick's sacrifice, the entire magical community would be mourning the passing of both the Twice and Thrice Blessed ones. It was a valid sacrifice. One for the lives of two."

Leo couldn't believe his ears. Were they honestly suggesting that he was happy that Patrick had gotten killed? Patrick's sacrifice had saved Chris & Wyatt; granted, but Leo would forever be indebted for Patrick's sacrifice, and he would forever mourn him.

Leo stared at Jacob, the older elder who had just spoken. "My family has taken a tremendous hit emotionally, Jacob. It doesn't matter if it had been Patrick, Chris or Wyatt that had lost their life. We would and do mourn them equally. If this is all you wanted, I really do have to go."

"Leo, we have a situation here. We know Phoebe is trying to find a way to vanquish Nogard. Now that he is a full fledged dragon that cannot be allowed. He holds more black magical powers inside him than any other evil being; equal to the white magic powers of your sons and the Charmed Ones. If she destroys him; a force of evil, then to keep the cosmic balance in order, the Charmed Ones and both of your sons will also be destroyed."

"You would destroy my family?" Leo said after finally finding his voice.

"We would have no choice but to recycle them all. If we didn't the cosmic imbalance would destroy the world as we know it."

Leo placed his palms flat on the conference table and pushed himself to his feet. "Let me make myself 100 crystal clear. I will do all that I can to make Phoebe understand why she should not vanquish Nogard. However, if I fail, and she succeeds in her vanquish, the elders will not kill my family. Because there is one other high level form of good magic in this world. And they will perish before the Charmed Ones and my sons do."

Jacob gasped. "Leo, you can't mean…"

Leo cut him off with a brisk motion of his hand. "I do mean. If the cosmic balance requires fixing, then I will be the one to do it. Starting with each and every elder."

"Don't be stupid" Thomas mocked. "In order to create the type of power you would need for that to work, you'd have to kill us all, including yourself."

Leo's voice went dangerously soft and violent. "Do you really think that's a problem for me?"

"Leo…to even think like this is a violation of your parole. You know that you are still held in contempt for killing Gideon. We do not take murder lightly, or the threat of it." Jacob warned.

"Neither do I, Jacob. The last time I killed an elder was because he tried and plotted to kill my son. What do you think I'll do this time if you try to kill my wife, my two sisters-in-law, and both of my sons? If I were you, I'd sit up here, and try to think up a way to appease Phoebe's blood lust for vengeance. Because if you can't save that dragon, then you can't save yourselves."

Leo orbed away angrily, back to the manor.

"Leo is becoming a problem." Jacob murmured to the other elders. "Is there any suggestions as to an effective solution?"

"He already gave us one. We simply have to figure out a way to soothe Phoebe's need for vengeance." The lone female elder, Laura, said calmly.

"We are assuming that he has the power to kill us all anyway. No one knows that he could withstand our combined powers." Thomas argued.

"He would do it. A parent backed into a corner turns feral. They are consumed with the need to protect at all costs. Humans have documented many cases where normal everyday people do extraordinary things because their loved ones are in mortal danger. Leo would be fighting for everything he has to live for. We need to find a way to placate Phoebe now. For all our sakes."

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Leo orbed back to the manor, heading for his and Piper's room rather than the attic. His hands were shaking in suppressed rage. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying to gain control.

"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper said from the other side of the room. She'd only seen her husband this out of control once, right after he'd killed Gideon.

"We can't let Phoebe vanquish him, Piper. Terrible things, unimaginable things will happen if we do. Please, believe me." Leo begged, his eyes full of worry.

"I do believe you, Leo. But Phoebe deserves to kill him. She deserves the right to avenge her son." Piper smoothed his hair down idly.

"Then send her out on a demon spree. Summon every demon you can until she's satisfied. But you can't let her kill Nogard. This family cannot afford that."

"Why? What is so great about Nogard that the elders don't want him dead?"

"He's the greatest power of black magic there is, Piper. If he gets killed, then the elders said…they said that his power is equal to that of both the Power of Three _and_ our boys, Piper. In order to keep the cosmic balance, if he dies…an equal power of good has to as well. If not, it means the end of the world."

Piper paled, and whispered hoarsely. "They'd take us and Chris and Wyatt? Why? After everything we've done…"

"They won't take any of you. I won't let that happen. There's another power that's more powerful than the Charmed ones and our sons. If the time comes, I'll get rid of that power instead." Leo purposely didn't mention who that power was.

"What power is stronger than the Power of Three and our boys, Leo?" Piper asked, still in shock.

"The elders." Chris spoke from the doorway of their bedroom with Wyatt beside him. He motioned to the door, "It wasn't closed."

"But, but, Leo…_you_ are an elder!" Piper cried out.

"Piper, I will do whatever I have to, in order to keep you and our kids safe. I don't care how old they are. I am not burying my kids or my wife."

"Dad, you're not sacrificing yourself for us. There's been enough of that for one day already." Wyatt broke in frustrated.

"Look, this is all a moot point anyway. If we can keep Phoebe from killing that dragon, then no one dies. Will you help me convince her?" Leo shouted, finally having had enough.

"Of course, Leo."

"I'm there for you, Dad."

"Well, I don't seem to have anything else planned." Chris grinned at the look of distaste on his older brother's face. "What? So I'm not eloquent. Shut up." They argued playfully as they walked up to the attic.

"On second thought, maybe I should sacrifice the two of them." Leo said jokingly, shaking his head at Piper. He slung an arm around her shoulder, gave her a quick, firm hug and together they went to find Paige to recruit her help.

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"Phoebe! You have to stop. This is ridiculous! There isn't going to be a spell or a potion in this book about vanquishing dragons because it isn't something that you are meant to do!" Cole put his hands over Phoebe's. She'd looked through the book twice and was starting to flip through the third time.

"I don't care what this book or any elder says, Cole. You don't know what it's like to know that your child is dead because you couldn't protect him. I have two other children. Now the same creature that killed my son is trying to kill my daughters. I have a divine right to protect my children!" Phoebe screamed at him.

"I know that honey, I do, but you can't do it this way. You have to step back and look logically at the situation. Killing Nogard is not going to bring Patrick back. In fact, if the elders decide to recycle you for it, all it's going to do is leave Paisley and Patience without a mother, father or brother."

"I can't just let him get away with it. I can't Cole. I don't want to leave my girls, but if I don't avenge Paddy, then he'll think I don't love him enough."

"No, he won't. You know as well as I do that when someone dies, they can look over you forever. Patrick is seeing how badly you want to vanquish Nogard."

"Aunt Phoebe, you can't vanquish him. Not if you want to live." Wyatt announced dramatically.

Cole immediately stood in front of Phoebe, shielding her from Wyatt. He started to transform into Balthazor. "Whoa! Whoa, stop, Cole! Wyatt didn't mean he'd hurt her!" Piper ran in, putting herself between Wyatt and Balthazor. The demon looked closely into Wyatt's eyes and changed back into Cole.

"Sorry" he said shortly.

"It's okay. At least I know my favorite Aunt is safe with you around." Wyatt grinned.

"Favorite Aunt? You told me I was your favorite aunt!" Paige said, faking anger.

"You are my favorite. You're my favorite white lighter aunt. Aunt Phoebe is my favorite witch aunt." Wy replied quickly.

"Mmm hmm" she murmured absently.

"What did you mean, 'not if she wants to live'?" Cole broke in impatiently.

"Just what he said. Listen, Aunt Phoebe, Nogard is the highest concentration of evil powers on earth. If you go against the elders, and kill him, it creates a cosmic imbalance. If that balance isn't set back to equal, then the world ends. They'd have to get rid of the highest concentration of good, which means the Charmed Ones plus Wy and me. Dad told them he wouldn't allow that to happen, that he'd personally destroy the only power of good higher than us; he kill every elder there was to right the balance. That's every single elder, Aunt Phoebe, including himself." Chris explained, never breaking eye contact with Phoebe.

Phoebe fell to her knees, and stayed there, her head in her hands. She fought for control as she finally raised her head, and whispered to the room in general. "So, I can't kill Nogard or I destroy more of our family. I can't bring Patrick back because magic doesn't allow it. So what can I do? What good is this magic? All it ever brings me is more pain and heartache. I've given up everything for magic. I've lost Prue, Grams, Mom. I lost Cole for almost 20 years. I lost Les and Jason because of magic. Now I've lost Patrick. How much more do I have to lose?"

"Nothing more, Phoebe. We've reached a decision regarding your dilemma. And our own." Laura, the elder, looked directly at Leo.


	9. Comings & Goings

**A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful people who have reviewed! I've come to the conclusion that this story is probably going to be my longest yet. I've only finished 1 of the 3 things planned for it, but it's taken more chapters than I expected. So anyway, as long as you guys keep reading and reviewing, I'll keep writing.**

**Boleyn- Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like all my stories! That makes me feel great. Look for more of Chris & Wyatt in this chapter especially.**

**JadeAlmasy- Geez, I'm going as fast as I can! Pushy, pushy… LOL : )**

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"We don't have any dilemma that we need your help with." Wyatt answered her coldly. "We'll solve this on our own." Aside from his dad, Wyatt didn't trust any elder. He'd always had an eerie feeling of nervousness around them, and after his parents finally told him about Gideon, he completely understood why.

"Wyatt, please! You aren't helping." Leo admonished gently. "Laura, I'm sorry. Go on."

Laura adjusted her robe, a bit flustered. "Yes, well, as I was saying, we have come to a conclusion." She turned to face Phoebe. "Please, accept our condolences for Patrick. He was destined for wonderful things, and I know it seems wasteful. Please understand, his death, while tragic, was not in vain. Your son's destiny is not over, merely put on hold for the moment."

Phoebe looked up, rage burning in her eyes. "My son is DEAD! Tell me, how does your destiny continue after that. Dead is dead."

"Not always. Not in magical beings." Laura answered softly.

"Oh really? Then where's Prue? Huh? Where is she? If dead doesn't really mean dead, then where is she?" Phoebe snapped.

"Prue's death was necessary. It was tragic, but it was necessary, and it was her destiny. Without her death, you and Piper never would have found Paige. And Paige never would have become a Charmed One. Her destiny would not have been completed. Phyra and Peyton would not have come to issue as they did. The world would have been a different place. Countless demons would not have been vanquished, as Prue didn't have white lighter abilities. You tell me Phoebe, how many times did Paige's ability to orb save you, Piper and all of your children?" At Phoebe's look of guilt, Laura continued.

"But we aren't here to discuss Prue. We're here about Patrick, and how you are handling your grief over him. You cannot kill Nogard, Phoebe, no matter how badly you would like to. He is too important in the cosmic balance of the universe. That is why we have a rule against killing dragons. It's not because we don't agree with you. We all understand why you want to vanquish him. Most of us agree with you. But regardless of how we feel, we cannot allow you to vanquish the dragon. If you do, we have no choice. The Power of Three as well as both Wyatt and Chris will be sacrificed or the world will cease to exist." Laura glanced warily at Leo.

"Leo has brought it upon himself to choose between his two families. We always knew the day would come when he would have to make this choice. His choice was all of you. He has decided that if you kill Nogard, Phoebe, he will in turn kill all the elders, including himself, to keep his family safe. What you don't know yet, however, is that by even suggesting this, Leo has made himself an outcast in the elder community. He was treated tenderly after that unfortunately incident with Gideon."

"Unfortunate incident? Please! He kidnapped my brother to the Underworld, exposed him to thousands, maybe millions of demonic threats, and had Dad not killed him, he would have turned Wyatt evil, which in turn would have created a world so dark and full of despair that you can't even imagine it. Gideon deserved exactly what he got. " Chris burst out angrily.

"Not to mention that he murdered my brother. The other Chris had come back to save me, and Gideon killed him, just so that he could still get rid of me. Don't talk to us about that traitorous bastard." Wyatt snapped. Chris looked at him to see his eyelid twitching uncontrollably. Whenever it did that, Wyatt was only a hairsbreadth from losing it completely. It didn't happen often, and it was a good thing. The last time Wyatt had lost it, his powers trigged the most powerful earthquake San Francisco had seen in 75 years.

"Look, you better just tell us what you're going to do to help Phoebe, ok? Enough dancing around it. Just tell us." Chris ordered.

"Very well. We have decided that since Patrick's life was ended by something that is deemed untouchable, we are going to bring him back as a white lighter. His destiny is not over. When Paisley has her baby, we are assigning Patrick to this child. You will not be able to see him until the baby is born, Phoebe. But rest assured, the day that Paisley gives birth, Patrick will come to you all as a white lighter. We will not require that he live 'Up There' with the other white lighters. This is a special circumstance, and he can live with you and your family as long as he so chooses. He will also be keeping his Wiccan powers. There will be a day when he will need to use them." Laura's face softened. "I know this isn't the same as having your son whole and healthy, Phoebe. But it truly is the best that we can do under the circumstances."

"But I will have him back. Patrick will come back, you swear it?" Phoebe clarified, not quite trusting her.

"I swear it, on my word as an elder. Patrick will be Paisley's child's white lighter. You will have him back." Laura answered firmly.

"Yeah, well, if he doesn't, don't ever come back to his house. Because if you do, and Patrick isn't here, I will personally blow you to bits myself. Now, if you please, we have other things to deal with. I would like you to leave." Piper threatened seriously. Elders pissed her off. It seemed like all they ever did was play God, and screw with people's lives. Thank God Leo wasn't that kind of elder. At least he was still human, and humane.

Laura nodded at Piper's words. "I understand Piper. I want you all to know that the elders are not against you. We know precisely how much the Halliwells have done for us since the Charmed Ones originally came into their magic. And we do thank you, more than you will ever know. Blessed be." With one last nod to Phoebe and a speaking glance at Leo, she orbed away.

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Chris stared up at the ceiling blindly, lying flat on his bed, wearing only a pair of boxers. He looked up at the sound of a knock on the door casing.

"Hey, baby brother. You know it's 3 am right?" Wyatt walked in and sat in the computer chair next to the bed. His chest was bare too, but he had a pair of flannel pants covering his muscled legs.

"Yeah. I just can't sleep, I guess."

"Patrick?" Wyatt asked knowingly.

"He shouldn't have died, Wy. I mean, I know he's going to come back and all as a white lighter, but….damn. He shouldn't have died."

"I know. I keep thinking the same thing. If we hadn't been so damn cocky that we could go to the Underworld and just vanquish randomly, he'd still be here."

"I really, really wish we hadn't done that Wy. All because I couldn't handle Mom's coddling. Now Patrick won't have that coddling again." Chris' voice was heavy with regret.

"Would you two please quit crying and whining like the babies that you continue to argue that you aren't?" A figure stepped out of swirling golden lights.

"Grams?" Wyatt's voice was astonished.

"Close your mouth, Wyatt. You look like you've seen a ghost." Grams stepped into the room and sat down on the edge of Chris' bed. Chris immediately sat up and gave her more room.

"You always were a good boy." She smiled. "Listen up, you two. I've seen Patrick. He doesn't blame you. As a matter of fact, he's rather pissed that the two of you are trying to deprive him of his glory. He's looking forward to holding it over your head's that he saved you both. I would look out if I were you. He's talking about letting only the two of you teach him about being a white lighter. Little brat says he only wants to learn how to be a white lighter if he can still have 'fun' doing it. I've tried to tell him that magic isn't about fun, but he listens to me about as much as Phoebe ever did."

"Grams, we'd love to be the ones to teach Patrick. But how can we do that knowing that we're the reason he's a white lighter and not a human to start with!" Chris burst out.

"Lord save me. I thought when Piper had two boys it would save me from all this 'Steel Magnolias' blaming yourself crap! Get over it! So you messed up. Big deal. Learn from it, don't dwell on it. Are you ever going to let your cousins or children go randomly demon hunting? No, of course not, because now you know the true consequences of reacting without first thinking. So suck it up and quit acting like you caused the Holocaust. If the person that died doesn't blame you, you shouldn't blame yourself!" Grams scolded them both complete with finger wagging.

Chris looked at Wyatt, and Wyatt returned his gaze with a raised eyebrow. In unison they leaned in and kissed their Great-Grandmother on a cheek, and wrapped her in the tightest hug possible. Grams started to blush a little at the overt affection from her normally subdued great grandsons. "I trust my work is done here then?" she asked in her normally crusty tone.

Chris gave a short laugh, as Wyatt snorted. "Yeah, Grams, your work is done. We'd hate to go all 'Steel Magnolias' after all." Chris was teasing her, but the truth was he did feel better. It was true, why should they waste time blaming themselves when Patrick didn't.

"So, I guess I should be going then." Grams stood up.

"Hey, wait, how did you get here anyway? I thought we always summoned you?" Wyatt asked suddenly before she could leave.

Grams started to laugh. "Oh, Wyatt. I can do whatever I want. I'm a ghost, remember? I'll come when you need me and summon me. And I'll also come whenever the heck I feel like it."

She stopped, and turned back to them. "And that reminds me. Don't think I'm happy about you two moving out of the manor. Your powers are rooted there, not here in this glorified condo."

"Grams, it's a duplex. The manor is right across the street. We just needed to be by ourselves to live our own lives!" Chris argued.

"Don't use that tone with me, you little witch lighter."

"I'm a witch elder." Chris said sullenly.

"You are a Halliwell. Which means, you don't give me any lip? Got it?" Grams huffed at Chris and Wyatt's nods. "Now, I'll forgive you both for moving out. But you'd better invite me to your weddings. If you don't…"

"You're invited, Grams! You're invited. We were going to summon you and Gramma Patty, and Aunt Prue to all attend. At least to the Wiccan ceremony. The Justice of the Peace might not appreciate a trio of dead women at a service he's officiating." Chris smiled at the thought.

"Well, I suppose it's a date. Blessed be, my darlings." Grams was encircled in familiar gold sparks.

"Blessed be, Grams. Thanks!" Wyatt called out.

"So, Wy, what now?" Chris asked idly.

"We go to sleep, Chris. Then when we wake up, I suggest we start helping with the weddings. I don't know about you, but I don't want Grams popping in when Abby and I are alone." Wyatt shuddered a little at the thought.

Chris echoed the sentiment with a strangled "ugh."

"G'night Wy." Chris yawned widely.

"Night Chris."


	10. Love's Ecstacy

**A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews! I appreciate everyone helping me out with this story and sticking with me. **

**Araminta Doyle- I'm glad you found this story. If you get confused with characters and all, you might want to read my first three stories, the Sextet of Time, Time Loop & Destiny Unleashed. Thanks for reviewing!**

**JadeAlmasy- Yeah, I like Grams too. I didn't plan on her, but I didn't know who else to use that would be so blunt with Chris & Wyatt.**

**Embry- glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Drew fuller is the best- So glad you like it. If you like Chris stories, he's also in my other three stories. **

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_Two Days Later_

"Chris!" Maya's voice echoed through the empty house.

"Yeah, hon. Up here!" Chris answered from the kitchen.

"Chris, seriously, you've got to help me. Your family is driving me nuts. Ever since they found out Patrick is coming back, it's like they've clung to this wedding like a life raft. I swear if I have to look at another damn 'emergency' sample flower arrangement or possible decoration, I'm going to go demon on them all!" She griped as she stole one of the appetizers Chris had prepared.

"Listen, Maya, I know they're being a little manic right now. But can you give them a break, please? For me?" Chris pleaded. "If it makes you feel any better, they're driving me nuts too. At least you don't hear the words, 'my baby boy' thirty times a day." Chris used a fake falsetto to tease his fiancé.

Maya laughed at his perfect imitation of Piper's voice. "I know. I swear this wedding can't come soon enough. Are you absolutely positive you don't want to elope like Wyatt & Abby are thinking of?"

"Sweetheart, do you really want to disappoint my mom and the rest of the family that way? I mean, I know our wedding is for us, but it's also for all of them. And you'll notice Wy and Abby haven't dared to actually mention their plan to mom or anyone else except you and I. Wy knows as well as I do that his whole plan's gonna go over like a lead balloon."

"So, you're going to be the good son, then, huh?" Maya teased gently, tweaking his nose.

"I'm always the good son." He leaned over the counter and kissed her softly. "Seriously though, you think you can handle them for just a little longer? I mean, it's only three more days. Then you become Mrs. Chris Halliwell."

Maya smiled brilliantly. "That's a sound I'll never get sick of hearing." She leaned in to kiss him again as the phone rang. She sighed, "Hold that thought." She picked up the phone, "Hello? Oh hi, Wy." She laughed, "Yeah, come on over." She hung up and turned to Chris with a laugh. "Your brother and Abby are orbing over in a sec. He wanted to make sure we weren't 'otherwise occupied' first."

Chris snorted. "Like we would have answered the phone if we had been."

"I was trying to be polite. You know, respect your privacy and all that crap." Wyatt answered in an annoyed tone as his orbs touched down.

"So you've finally house trained him for polite society, huh, Abby?" Maya teased.

"Oh hush, you little hussy. You've only been home for five minutes, and you've already got my baby brother covered in your lipstick." Wyatt joked back.

"What can I say? Passion's Kiss is his color." Maya and Wyatt both started laughing as Chris wiped his mouth with the back of his hand to get the lipstick off.

"So, what's up? Do we have a demon or something?" Chris asked once they finally stopped laughing and Wyatt and Abby had sat at the counter with Maya.

"Or something, actually. Look, you know how Abby and I are thinking about eloping right?" Wyatt started.

"Yeah, and you know how mom and the aunts will rip you a new one, right?" Chris interrupted.

"It won't be that bad, Chris. Abby and I just don't want all the hoopla of the big ceremony. We just want to get married in a simple elegant ceremony. If anything, seeing all the insanity for your wedding has made us positive that we won't ever get that if we let Mom and the aunts help plan it."

"Ok, but Wy, don't you think they should at least be there? They are your family? Don't you want someone there with you on the best day of your life?" Maya asked quietly.

"I do want someone there. We want someone there. But not just anyone, Maya, Chris, we want you two to be there." Abby broke in.

"Wha….seriously? You guys want us to elope with you?" Chris asked incredulously.

"Well, we don't want you to join us in holy matrimony, no. But we would like you there. Chris, you're my brother and my best friend. Maya and Abby are as close as sisters. When we were thinking of who we wanted with us, the choice was always very easily you." Wyatt answered solemnly.

Maya glanced at Chris and at his slight nod, agreed. "Okay, we'd love to be there for you."

"Great. So let's go." Wyatt started to get up.

"Wait, wait! Wyatt… go where?" Chris stopped him.

"To Vegas. We're getting married. Tonight." Wyatt answered with a grin.

"TONIGHT! Wy, we can't leave now! Our own wedding is in three days! Do you have any idea how big a fit mom will pitch if we go away now?" Chris exclaimed.

"Look, Chris. We want to get married now. Truth is…we need to. We've been planning on eloping next month anyway. But Abby is pregnant. We just found out. And I don't want people counting months and pointing fingers at my kid. So we want to get married ASAP." Wyatt stopped and looked at Chris pleadingly.

"We never wanted to horn in on your day, on your celebration. But…" Abby trailed off, embarrassed.

"I'm gonna be an uncle." Chris laughed. "Well, I guess that's a good enough reason. What do you say, Maya? Up for a side trip to Vegas?"

"Absolutely." She squealed in excitement, unable to contain it. She ran over and hugged Abby. "I'm so happy for you! Congratulations! Do you want a boy or a girl?" she asked Wyatt, turning her happy smile on him.

Wyatt shrugged. "I'd like a little girl, honestly. One that looks just like her mommy. But whatever we get is great. It doesn't matter as long it's a healthy baby."

"So will I get to be Auntie Maya?"

Wyatt laughed. "Yeah. I'm sure you'll be the baby's favorite."

He'd forgotten that Maya was an only child, and had lost her parents very young. She didn't remember them, only that they'd died in a demon attack. Her father was demon that had turned good, not unlike Cole, and her mom was a white lighter. They'd died when a dark lighter had attacked, taking them both off guard. Her mom had been killed by a poison arrow, and her dad stabbed with his own athame. Maya had been raised at magic school, as an orphan, and had never had the opportunities that Chris and Wyatt had had to take care of all the various babies that had been in the Halliwell manor from year to year. Maya was enthralled with their sprawling loving family. She was even more effusive in her excitement over the new babies.

"Okay. Give us about 20 minutes to get our stuff together and for me to put this stuff away, and we'll meet you in your living room." Chris was talking to Abby

"That's great. Chris... thanks. This means a lot to both of us."

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Chris and Maya orbed with Wyatt and Abby to the bathroom at the Vegas airport. They walked out calmly and rented a car, driving onto the busy Vegas strip. They'd left a message on the answering machine at the manor telling them that they had a slight emergency, but that no one was hurt and if they were needed, both Wyatt and Chris had their cell phones. Both of them were expecting a frantic phone call any minute from their family.

"So have you guys thought about where you're going to get married? I mean, you don't want to have an Elvis impersonator do it or anything do you?" Chris joked.

"No, actually, I booked our wedding earlier today. We were hoping you guys would agree to come with us. We're getting married at the Princess Wedding Chapel. We're getting the Princess Odette wedding. It's a beautiful package." Abby answered shyly.

"So you are actually still getting your fairy tale wedding then?" Maya asked happily.

"Yeah, it's not so frou-frou that Wyatt would hate it, but it's still beautiful enough that I'll want to tell my kids about it someday."

"Wyatt and Chris are wearing suits right?"

"Absolutely, but no tuxes. That was Wyatt's only requirement. He'd wear whatever kind of suit I asked, but not a tux. I guess it's not a bad deal." She smiled up at her fiancé in the front seat.

"We're here, sweetheart. Last chance. Are you sure you don't want the big wedding with my family?" Wyatt asked as he opened Abby's door.

"I'm sure, Wyatt. I want to get married and this is the easiest way. I won't regret it, I promise." Abby answered softly, kissing him.

"Hey, hey! Leave that for the honeymoon." Chris teased them. In all honesty, he was amazed at the depth of emotion his brother was showing. Wyatt was normally very reserved and quiet. The fact that he was kissing his fiancé in the middle of the Vegas strip was very telling.

They broke apart and each walked into the hotel where the chapel was located. Quickly the four checked in, and went up to their rooms to change. Chris opened the connector door between the two rooms and stopped Abby before she started to change into the simple white sundress she'd brought to get married in.

"Abby. Listen, Maya and I were talking before we left. All brides deserve to have the wedding of their dreams. Now, all of us know that that sundress isn't the gown you always dreamed of. So Maya went out and got you a dress before we left home. It's been magically altered to fit you perfectly, so that shouldn't be a problem. This is our wedding gift to you." Chris snapped his fingers and Abby gasped as she found herself wearing a beautiful halter style white satin wedding gown.

She raised her shaking hand to the silver beading that lay over the chest of the gown, leaving the rest to drape elegantly down to the floor. Her feet were in white satin sandals that matched her dress perfectly. "I…I don't know what to say. Isn't this personal gain?"

Chris laughed. "No. The dress and shoes are ours; I just orbed them here onto you. But we obtained everything the normal way, Maya took an emergency trip to David's Bridal, and got the dress that she knew you'd loved when you helped her pick out her dress."

Wyatt was staring at his fiancé. "Thanks, Chris. I gotta say I especially like that little cut out piece that has that dangly doodad in the middle. That's just sexy."

Chris grinned at his brother. "Wait til you see what under the dress, Wy. Then you'll really thank me."

"Ew… you are such a pervert, Christopher Halliwell. Get out. Both of you. I have to do Abby's hair." Maya shooed them both of the room with a flick of her hand.

"Damn, Chris. How'd we get so lucky, huh?" Wy asked idly as he glamoured himself into his suit.

"I guess we're just _Charmed_, Wy." Chris laughed at his own corniness and glamoured into his own suit.

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"We are gathered here today to witness the coming together of two people, Wyatt and Abby, whose hearts and spirits are entwined as one. They now desire to profess before all the world their intention henceforth to walk the road of life together.

To these two young people, this marriage signifies the birth of a new spirit, a spirit which is a part of each of us, yet not of any one of us alone. This "birth of spirit" reminds us of spring, the season when all life is reborn and looms again. It is appropriate, therefore, that this wedding be in the spring.

The beliefs and thoughts about love which motivate these two people are perhaps best expressed in the words of poet Kahlil Gibran:

You were born to be together, and together you shall be forevermore.  
You shall be together when the wings of death scatter your days.  
Ay, you shall be together even in your silent memory.  
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,  
And let the winds of the heaven dance between you.  
Love one another, but make not a bondage of love.  
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.  
Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup.  
Give one another of your bread, but eat not of the same loaf.  
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone,  
Even as the strings of a lute are alone, though they quiver with the same music.  
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping,  
For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.  
And stand together, yet not too near together,  
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,  
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in shadow."

The wedding official turned to Abby._  
_"Do you Abby, knowing this man's love for you and returning it, realizing his strengths and learning from them, recognizing his weaknesses and helping him to overcome them, take Wyatt to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Abby's voice was full of happy tears. "I do."

"Place the ring on his finger." The official watched as Abby pushed a silver band on Wyatt's finger. He turned to Wyatt."Do you Wyatt, knowing this woman's love for you and returning it, realizing her strengths and learning form them, recognizing her weaknesses and helping her to overcome them, take Abby to be your lawfully wedded wife?

Wyatt's voice was soft and full of the love he felt."I do."

_  
_The official nodded, "Place the ring on her finger. Let these rings serve as locks–not binding you together–but as keys, unlocking the secrets of your hearts for each other to know, and thus bringing you closer together forever.

And now Wyatt and Abby, seeking the fulfillment of love and marriage, find again that the poet Gibran speaks for them:

"Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.  
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks to another day of loving.  
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;  
To return home eventide with gratitude, and then sleep with a prayer  
For the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Chris and Maya smiled as they watched happily. Chris turned at the sound of orbing. "WYATT MATTHEW HALLIWELL!"

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**A/N: I'm creative, but not this creative. I got the wedding vows from a free website.For some reasonthis site's filter won't let megive the name of it. If anyone wants to know, put your email in your review, and I'll send you the website.I thought Wyatt & Abby deserved something a little different since I didn't give them a family wedding.**


	11. Naughty Naughty

**A/N: Well, I got very positive feedback on my wedding chapter. Seems everyone likes a Vegas wedding. : )**

**Bolelyn- Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**Good Witch- Your question will be answered this chapter. Thanks for your review!**

**embry- Thanks, I know there wasn't much action, but I thought it was kind of sweet.**

**JPneverlosethebutterflies- thanks for the review! Your question will be answered in just a few seconds! **

**Pinkrockpunkcess- Thank you so much! You have no idea how great that makes me feel that you loved all of my stories.**

**JadeAlmasy- it's very possible he is….. : )**

**Altaira- Again, that psychic link is working overtime. Thanks for reviewing again!**

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Wyatt turned at the sound of his full name. He winced as he saw most of the assembled family standing behind Chris. "Hey, you guys. What, ah, are you doing here?"

Piper closed her eyes, trying to calm down. "Wyatt. Please, tell me this isn't what I think it is."

"Well, Mom, it's a wedding. Abby and I got married." Wyatt figured it was better to blurt it out now. It was harder for his mother to blow him up in public.

Piper's body visibly tightened and she grabbed Leo's hand, squeezing it hard to keep her hands from flicking at her son. "I can see that." She snapped angrily. "I guess what I want to know is why."

"Mom, you knew I was marrying her. I asked her a year ago! Did you really think we were going to just stay engaged forever?" Wyatt shrugged his shoulders. "We wanted to get married. So we did."

"I expected you to get married in a ceremony that we were at least all invited to Wyatt. I thought we deserved at least that much. I couldn't believe it when Phoebe had that prem… uh, hunch that you were here." Piper cast a glance at the official who was staring at them. He hadn't heard a door open, but suddenly all these people were here. Piper smiled at him pleasantly. "Could you excuse us all for a moment, sir? We need to talk to the bride and groom."

The official stuttered a bit. "Actually, ma'am, I'm going to have to ask all of you to be moving along. I have another wedding to perform in fifteen minutes. May I suggest going to one of our lovely suites here in the hotel? They do offer the greatest in security and privacy."

Piper faked a smile. "That would be fine. Thank you. Let's go to your room. Now, Wyatt." The statement wasn't a request. It was an order, and one that Wyatt recognized immediately. He glanced at Abby, and at her slight nod, he agreed silently, starting to walk away to show his parents to the suite they had rented for themselves and Chris & Maya.

As they were walking away Chris spoke telepathically to Wyatt. _See big brother. This is why Maya and I are putting up with all the hoopla. A happy mom is so much nicer than a pissed off mom._

Wyatt's response was short and succinct. _Shut up, Chris._

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"Okay, so let's hear it. Why did you two feel like you had to come this far away to get married? Why didn't you want your family there?" Piper asked after they had gotten to the two connected rooms.

"Yeah, and while you're at it, why is Chris the only Halliwell that was invited!" Paige added smartly.

Wyatt sighed heavily. "Look, it wasn't something we were actively planning on keeping you all away from. To be honest, we did plan on getting married in Vegas anyway. But we originally were going to bring everyone with us, when we got married in October."

"So what changed, Wy?" Leo asked quietly.

"We got some great news. That's what changed, Dad. We're going to have a baby. Abby is due on November 9th. I didn't want our baby's birth to take place only a couple of weeks after our wedding. We didn't want her to grow up thinking that we had to get married." Wyatt smiled at Abby lovingly.

"You're pregnant too?" Paisley gasped to Abby. At her nod, Paisley squealed, and folded the older girl in a hug.

"I…I'm going to be a…grandma?" Piper's face went slightly pale at the thought.

"Yeah. Do you understand now why we got married so quickly?" Wyatt asked. He hated the thought that he'd hurt his mother. She was so strong all the time that the thought that he might be the reason her feelings got hurt made him feel about 3 inches tall.

"I understand why, Wyatt. I just wish that you had given us all a chance to be here. I mean, when I first became a mom, I dreamed about seeing my boy marry his one true love. And now I've missed that. I'm disappointed, Wyatt, not angry."

"Well, I'm angry. I want to know what Chris got to be here, and we didn't!" Paige insisted again.

"Aunt Paige! Cut it out, ok? I asked Chris because he's my brother and my best friend. I asked Chris because he needed a break from all of his own wedding craziness. I asked Chris because I know he still feels sad over Pat. Take your pick, Aunt Paige. I just wanted Chris to be here." Wyatt said, full of frustration.

"Yeah, only Chris. Wyatt, it would have taken about 10 seconds for you to orb to the manor, yell out, 'hey, Abby and I are headed to Vegas to get hitched.' This is unforgivable. You left your own parents out of your wedding. You didn't even give them a chance to see it." Paige scolded.

"Look, Lay off Wyatt, okay? He's not the only one who got married, ok? I did too. If you guys don't like how we did it, we're sorry. We've already apologized. But you aren't going to harass him over this. It was our wedding and it was our choice who we wanted to attend." Abby broke in angrily. She knew they were succeeding in making Wyatt feel bad, and it pissed her off.

"You don't talk to me like that." Piper snapped at her new daughter in law.

"I'll talk to you however I want, Piper. You and your sisters need to lay off Wyatt. It's not like we committed a crime. We just got married."

"Okay, okay, okay. Everyone to neutral corners. Here are the facts:

a- everyone here loves Wyatt

b- everyone here wants Wyatt to be happy

c- Abby is the best thing to every happen to Wyatt

d- Abby and Wyatt are pregnant

e- Abby and Wyatt are married

and most importantly, f- Abby and Wyatt are happy.

So let's just drop this, okay? Look, Maya and I had a feeling this wasn't going to go over very well. So we have an alternate solution. We'll share our wedding ceremony with Wy and Abby. They can get married again, so that the entire family can be there this time. That way everyone is happy. Can we all live with that?" Chris broke up the argument with his quiet but firm voice.

"Chris…no. Thank you, but no. We aren't going to take over your day." Wyatt answered immediately.

"It's only taking it over if you ruin it, steal it or break it up. Otherwise, there's nothing that is going to stop that from being the best day of my life." Chris answered back.

"Besides, there isn't anyone that we'd rather share our special day with than you two. Abby is the closest thing I have to a sister. You and Chris are the closest brothers I've ever met. It fits, doesn't it?" Maya asked simply.

"Thanks, Maya." Abby looked at Wyatt carefully. "I think your plan is perfect. We'd love to share your special day with you."

Maya grinned. "Course, Wy, you're going to have to lose the suit. We're going tuxes all the way, ya know."

The tension in the room was broken as Wyatt groaned in dismay.

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"Uncle Cole, I don't understand how come Peyton and I couldn't go with everyone else to Vegas to get Wyatt!" Phyra complained bitterly. Peyton nodded, agreeing completely with her sister. They weren't babies anymore.

"Phyra, your mom thought that Vegas was just a little too…raw for you two right now. What, you don't like hanging out with me?" Cole joked, knowing fully that Phyra didn't completely trust him still. After all, she was Paige's daughter.

"No. I want to help Wyatt." She grinned as a thought occurred to her.

_Evil force in my midst,_

_Let his evil powers twist._

_Keep me free, his feet cement,_

_His only thoughts a strong lament._

Phyra giggled as Cole's feet were encased in a thick block of cement. "Guess you can't stopus now, huh?" she taunted as she and Peyton orbed out. Cole tried to shimmer after them, only to find that he couldn't shimmer due to her spell.

"GET BACK HERE, NOW!"

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Phyra was still giggling to herself as she orbed into the lobby of the Princess Wedding Chapel. She praised herself for her amazing smarts in knowing how to read Wyatt & Chris' minds to find where they where. No it was only a matter of finding what room they were all in.

Peyton walked up to the check in desk, and asked what room they were in. The lady behind the desk looked at her snottily and said "we do not give out that information. We have no idea who you are, and cannot risk our patrons."

Phyra sighed, and they walked away, dejectedly. A bellhop approached the tow, touching Phyra's shoulder carefully. "Excuse me; I think I might be able to help you. I tend to know most of the guests rooms, as I service them all. Who were you looking for?"

Phyra smiled and answered shyly. "I'm looking for my cousins. Chris or Wyatt Halliwell, please."

"Halliwell. Well, I see this is my lucky day indeed." Phyra watched in horror as the bellhop's face elongated and fangs poked through his upper lip. She couldn't orb, with his hand on her shoulder, and he shimmered out with her firm in his grip. Peyton's scream echoed through the lobby. "HELP!" both girls yelled in unison.

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Chris and Wyatt immediately snapped to attention. "PHYRA!"

"What? What's going on? Phy's home with Cole." Paige gasped quickly, noticing the worried expressions on her nephews' faces.

"Let's go. Quick, back to the manor!" Wyatt cried out, having a horrible feeling.

Paisley cuddled into her older cousin, ready to orb out, when a premonition hit her. She watched uncontrollably as her vision showed the kidnapping. She gasped as she came out of the vision. "Peyton. She's downstairs, and saw the whole thing!"

Before the words were completely out of her mouth, Chris had already orbed out to his younger cousin downstairs.


	12. The Hybrid

**A/N: Again- thanks for the reviews!**

**drew fuller is the best- Thanks for reading my other stories too. My favorite part about Chris & Wyatt is their relationships with their cousins too.**

**Altaira- guess you have to wait and see! He he he!**

**JPNeverlosethebutterflies- Well, I'm really trying to make Abby & Maya more human. They have faults like everyone else. Plus, the reason that Abby keeps yelling at Piper is because Piper keeps coming down hard on Wyatt, and he won't protect himself from his mom. He loves her too much to fight with her, so Abby fights for him. As far as Maya goes, there'll be more character defining stuff later for her, so that should help. But I'm going to really try and make Abby more likeable now; I hadn't realized quite how snotty she was. Thanks for letting me know!**

**embry- glad you liked it!**

**JadeAlmasy- Well, I don't know about angels… Gods, maybe, though. LOL**

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"Peyton!" Chris yelled as he and Wyatt orbed simultaneously into the lobby of the busy hotel.

"Chris! Wyatt! He… he took her. He took Phyra!" Peyton cried out and burrowed herself into Chris' arms.

"Damn it! Chris, we've got a bit bigger problem now. Look!" Wyatt ground out angrily. As Chris raised his eyes from his cousin he encountered the stares of about fifty people that had stopped dead in their tracks staring at the two men who had arrived in a shower of blue lights.

"Shit!" Chris swore under his breath. "Let's try the spell we used on our teachers when we were acting up."

Wyatt nodded.

_You think you saw,_

_You think you knew._

_Memories fade, leave ones shiny and new._

_Let our magic be hidden,_

_And any thoughts you think of it, completely forbidden._

Chris let a sigh of relief as the people stopped staring and started moving along as thought they'd seen nothing.

"Listen up Pey. We're going to run back up to our room, then orb back to the manor from there." Chris said in a firm voice. Peyton nodded, still crying.

"Where is Cole? Paige said she left him with you two." Wyatt asked as they walked quickly through the halls.

"Um, he's at the manor." Peyton answered softly.

"WHAT? He let you two come here alone? I'll kill him." Wyatt announced harshly.

"He didn't let us, Wy. It's not his fault. Phy… she cast a spell. It set his feet literally in cement plus took away his power to shimmer. We left him in the attic." Peyton confessed miserably.

Chris stopped dead in the hallway and stared incredulously at his cousin. "You…you knowingly cast a personal gain spell?"

"We just wanted to come with everyone else! They said they were coming to get Wyatt and we thought we should be there too. It isn't fair that we get left out just because we're younger. Patience got to go, and she's younger than I am! It's not fair, Chris."

"Ok, ok. Look, it doesn't matter right now, ok? We'll settle this later, right now, we have to find Phy." Wyatt broke in, recognizing the start of a huge argument.

They continued to their suite silently. Chris opened the door, and motioned for Peyton to go first. She hesitated, knowing that the rest of her family was going to be every bit as angry as Chris and Wyatt. Wyatt stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, and gave her a small squeeze of support. She looked up at him gratefully and with a deep breath walked into the room.

"Peyton Rebeccah Matthews-Halliwell! Do you want to explain just what the HELL you and your sister are doing in Las Vegas! I specifically remember telling you to stay at the manor!" Paige started yelling the second she saw her older daughter.

"I…" Wyatt cut off Peyton before she could answer. "Aunt Paige now isn't the time or the place. We need to get Phyra back first. Then you can yell at them both later. We need to get back to the manor so that we can get to the book."

"Wyatt's right, honey. We have to get Phy back before we can yell at either one of them." Jax pulled his wife into a quick hug. He looked at Peyton carefully. "Are you ok, Pey? The demon didn't hurt you, did he?"

She shook her head. "No…he just…he seemed so normal, so nice. And then all of a sudden he touched Phy's shoulder and she was almost frozen. Then his face changed and he just…left with her." She started to cry.

"Oh honey…" Paige sighed, and pulled her daughter into the circle of her and Jax's arms. "It's okay. We'll get her back. She'll be just fine. You'll see."

"Everyone, meet back at the manor, alright? Dad, would you mind checking us out of these rooms, please? Chris and I have an idea who might have done this and we want to get started ASAP. Plus, you might need to use some memory dust. We accidentally orbed into a crowd. We used a spell to make them forget, but still, you might need to clean up a little for us." Wyatt handed his father a credit card, grabbed Abby and orbed away.

Chris nodded. "Thanks, dad." He orbed out with Maya and the rest of the family.

"No problem." Leo answered to the empty room. He shook his head in slight amusement. His sons truly were a force to be reckoned with when they were in all out demon hunting mode.

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Chris sighed. "Pey, I just don't know of anything that matches what you saw. I mean, are you positive it wasn't a vampire? That's the only magical creature I can think of that has an elongated jaw with fangs."

"I just don't think he was a total vampire. Whatever it is that took Phy had blue eyes. Aren't vampires eyes' black when they are in vampire mode?"

"Yeah, they are. Damn it!" Wyatt swore and pushed himself off the chair he'd been occupying. He started to pace restlessly. "There has to be an answer. I was so sure it was a vampire."

"Maybe Phyra will have an answer for you." Cole broke in coolly. He still hadn't quite forgiven either girl for their spell.

"Great, Cole. I'll just go ask her then." Paige said sarcastically.

"Actually, Aunt Paige, Cole has a point. Phy's telepathic with Wy and me now. We should be able to talk to her." Chris stood up quickly, and closed his eyes, focusing on Phyra.

_Phy… Phyra can you hear me?_

_CHRIS! Help me! Please, hurry!_

"Chris has her." Wyatt said quietly, not wanting to break Chris' concentration.

_Phyra, we don't know who took you. We can't find him in the book. Can you give us a hint? Where are you, what does the demon look like, has he said anything that will give us a clue?_

_I…I think the demon is some type of hybrid. Chris, I'm scared. There's a bunch of vampires everywhere around me. One of them said something about the Queen being satisfied by at least getting the daughter. They're really scary. They keep coming up and sniffing me, like they want to eat me! Wh…what do I do?_

_Stay calm, Phy. It's okay. Are you hurt?_

_No. I just can't orb. I tried and it felt like I'd ran into a wall. They all laughed at me. The demon that took me told me that his force field was protected from good magic being able to leave as anything except a ghost. Then he turned into a wolf and walked away saying something about meeting his mistress._

_He changed into a wolf? And he has a force field. I think you're right. He sounds like a hybrid vampire-werewolf. We'll get you out, okay? I promise. You just hang on. Can you tell me anything else about the place you're being held?_

_Um, not really. It's dark and damp and dirty. The only lights on are torches in the corners. And it's crawling with bats…tons and tons of them._

_Ok, kiddo. I'm gonna go now and get to work to get you back home safe. If you need us, call for us. Me and Wy will hear you. We'll orb in no matter what._

_No! Don't go, Chris, please? I'm scared._

_I know that baby. But we're going to fix this, and get you back home so that your mom and dad can ground you and Pey for months over this stunt. I promise you, you'll be okay. Me and Wy won't fail this time, I swear it._

_OK, Chris. But hurry okay? It's almost supper time. I don't want to be their main course!_

"She's okay for now. I think it's a hybrid vampire-werewolf that has her. The book says that a hybrid member of the undead is very rare, but has happened in extreme circumstances. Basically the only way it can happen is if a magical pregnant woman is turned into a vampire. Her child will be born as half vampire."

"A Vampire? Chris, do you think he's working for the Queen of the Vampires?" Paige asked shakily, remembering her own run in with the powerful vampire.

"Phy heard some other vampires talking about the Queen settling for the daughter. I'd say it's a very good chance that she is behind Phy's kidnapping." Chris turned to Wyatt. "We're going to need some stakes. This is going to get bloody."

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Cole looked up as Chris and Wyatt walked back into the attic. Their arms were full of wooden stakes that they had sharpened to a razor sharp point.

"Look, you guys aren't going to be able to get in there without a spell or something to get you out. There's no way you can kill all of the vampires before one of them gets one of you or Phyra." Cole pointed out logically.

"Once the hybrid is killed, the force field should lower." Chris said absently, busy loading stakes into a bag.

"It won't, trust me."

"Chris is right, Cole. The force field will die when the hybrid does. It's the same with my shield." Wyatt added.

"NO!" Cole yelled, grabbing the bag of stakes from Chris' hands forcing them to look at him. "Listen to me. The Queen of the Vampires tried to unseat me as the Source of all Evil. I know a few things about her. One of the things that I know is that her clans' powers aren't fed by individuals. It's fed off of a collective. In order to get the force field to lower, you'd have to kill each and every vampire in her clan. I have an idea, if you're willing to try something a little risky."

Chris nodded, and looked at Wyatt. "You're sure that killing just the hybrid won't work?"

"I'm positive, Wyatt. I may not be a Halliwell, but I'm pretty powerful in my own right, you know. The force field won't lower if you kill only the hybrid." Cole continued at Wyatt's nod of acceptance. "You two have gone undercover before, right, as dark lighters. Normally you use a spell just to camouflage your orbs. That won't work, either way whether they're black or not it's still a good magic orb. But what we could do is dress you two up in your demon cover clothes. You know the black leathers…then I'll swap powers with one of you. That way you'll be able to shimmer, which will allow you to escape the force field. Plus it won't leave me powerless in case something else attacks."

"Actually, that sounds good, but…let me modify this plan a little. How about you swap powers with Phyra? See, Wy and I are going to need all of our powers, just to control the stake-throwing. But if Phy says the spell with you, then your powers will swap, and she can shimmer us out."

"How will that work? Don't we have to say the spell simultaneously?" Cole asked confused.

"Yeah, but we can broadcast Phy's voice. It's one of Chris' 'special' powers. He can open his mouth and Phy's voice will come out. We call the power the loudspeaker. Found out about it one day when we were little, and playing with our powers. No idea what it's actually called. So anyway, as long as Phy says it in her head, her voice will come out of Chris' mouth. It'll work. It's simpler than it sounds." Wyatt stated calmly.

Cole had a befuddled look on his face. "Whatever. Didn't you two ever just play with Lego's like normal kids?"


	13. Revenge Thy Name is Halliwell

**A/N: Ok, so I forgot that not everyone is a total Charmed freak like me. There has been some confusion over a couple of things I mentioned in the last chapter. Hopefully, this explanation with cover all the confusion.**

**Swapping Powers- This comes from the first season when Leo is dying and he and Piper swap powers so that she can heal him. Phoebe & Prue's powers also swap. This is what I'm talking about that Cole wants to do. He wants to give his demonic powers to Phyra so that she will be able to shimmer instead of orbing. Since good powers can't escape the force field, but evil can, an evil power is needed to escape the force field.**

**Queen of the Vampires- This comes from season 4's episode 'Bite Me'. The Queen of the Vampires wants to defeat Cole to become the Source of All Evil. She has one of her minions turn Paige into a vampire, hoping that Paige will infect her sisters, giving her the Power of Three in her collective.**

**Hopefully that clears up any confusion there was in the last chapter.**

**Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed! 7 Reviews for one chapter! I feel so loved. : ) I think almost everyone mentioned the Lego's comment too, I'm glad you all liked it so much.**

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"Before we do this, there's something I don't get." Cole admitted as Chris flipped to the power switching spell in the Book of Shadows.

"What's that?" Wyatt asked distractedly.

"How can the Queen be still around? I killed her myself."

Chris and Wyatt both stopped what they were doing to stare at Cole blankly.

"What?" Cole asked at their incredulous expression.

Chris started to laugh. "You, of all people, have to ask that? How many times did mom and the sisters vanquish you? You're still standing here."

"Well, that was different. That was fate, destiny. But the Queen of the Vampires, she was only destined to die." Cole defended, feeling a slight heat creep up his neck.

"Apparently not. Or maybe she got reincarnated. Or maybe you never really killed her after all. Vampires are supposed to be immortal; maybe you just hurt her, or sent her to a different plane. Either way, it really doesn't matter. This time, she messed with the wrong witches at the wrong time. We just lost one cousin. We're not losing another one." Wyatt's voice was hard and unbending. "Let's just hurry and get your powers swapped so that we can get this over with."

_Ready, Phy? _Wyatt asked.

_As I'll ever be I guess. Are you sure this isn't a trick to get back at me for my spell?_

_I'm sure, Phy. He's for real. Besides, switching with you was my idea anyway, not Cole's. _Wyatt reassured.

_Okay then, let's do this. I'm sick of being here._

"_Okay, on three, Cole & Phy, you both start to read the spell. 1, 2, 3…"_

"What's mine is yours  
What's yours is mine  
Let our powers cross the line  
I offer up my gift to share  
Switch our powers through the air."

Chris' mouth opened, mouthing the words, but it was Phyra's voice coming out in unison with Cole's. A golden light came out of Chris at the same time a dark red light came out of Cole. The golden light settled into Cole's body, as the red one hit Chris'.

"_Everyone okay?"_ Wyatt asked Cole and Phyra at the same time.

"One way to find out." Cole tried to shimmer, but instead disappeared in a flurry of orbs. He instantly came back in. "Jesus Christ… I'll never get used to that feeling." He shuddered.

_Phy, Baby, we're going to go and get Mom, Aunt Paige & Aunt Phoebe, and we'll be there for you in a few minutes. Whatever you do, don't show you have a demonic power right now. That could ruin everything!_ Chris warned her as he grabbed the bag of stakes. Wyatt orbed downstairs to collect the Charmed Ones as Phyra answered her cousin.

_Okay, Chris. These powers though…they're really strong. You need to hurry. The evil…it's seductive, Chris. Like I've got all this power now, and this almost insatiable urge to use it._

_Don't do it, Phyra! We'll be there in a few seconds. Hold off that long._ Chris ordered harshly.

"Okay, we're ready. Let's go kill this bitch for good this time!" Piper yelled. She still hadn't forgiven the Queen for trying to turn Paige the last time.

They disappeared with Wyatt and Chris in a wash of blue orbs. Cole remained in the attic, watching as the orbs vanished. "Good luck" he said softly into the air.

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As the orbs touched down into the vampire's lair, Chris immediately sensed for Phyra. _They're holding her down the hall and to the left. She's still okay._ He sent the thought telepathically to them all as they crept down the stone hallway silently. Chris was in the lead, holding a sharpened stake in each hand. Wyatt took up the last position, as they unconsciously protected their aunts and mother.

As they reached the room where Phyra was being held, a skinny vampire popped up in front of Chris. He breathed in deeply. "Mmm… I smell power!" The vampire opened his jaw only to let out a scream as Chris plunged his stake into its heart. It shriveled and burst into flames.

They ran into the room as dozens of vampires attacked them. Phyra was tied to a rock column in the center of the room, with two vampire guards. "Chains!" Paige called, and the chains wrapped around Phyra landed in Paige's hand. She threw them at a nearby vampire, sending him falling backwards. Phyra gasped as she realized she was free. Chris and Wyatt were busy hurling stakes like spears into the nearby vampires, sending them all up in columns of flames.

"Go find the Queen, hurry!" Chris yelled to Piper.

"The Queen is here, you insolent puppy." A regal looking vampire in a black silken cloak appeared as the air in front of Chris shimmered and swayed. She looked at Paige. "I see you've returned. Tell me, did you miss us?" She knocked Wyatt out with a flick of her wrist. The hybrid vampire werewolf appeared behind Chris. As he'd done earlier with Phyra, he paralyzed him with a mere touch on his shoulder.

"About as much as I miss high school." Paige snapped back. She looked at Piper and Phoebe quickly… "now."

"Queen of the endless night

Let us shower you with eternal light.

Let it boil, let it burn

Never more your powers churn."

The Queen instantly started to burn. Phoebe grabbed a stake that was at her feet. She plunged it directly into the Queen's chest. She shrugged, and looked at her sisters, "just in case."

Another dozen vampires shimmered in, pissed off and ready for revenge. The Charmed Ones had killed their Queen. Now they would kill the Charmed Ones. The hybrid screamed in rage and immediately attacked his nearest target: Phyra.

She let loose with a scream of anger, fear and power. She called up a fire ball, and hurled it at the hybrid. She followed it up with an energy ball direct to the chest. She flamed out and quickly back in behind the hybrid, stabbing him with Chris' stake. The hybrid burst into flames, and Chris was immediately released from his paralyzed state.

He looked around and saw the vampires reforming again. He grabbed Wyatt, and picked him up awkwardly. "Phy! Come on, shimmer us all out of here. Quick!"

Phyra's eyes were black with rage and power. She nodded slightly, quickly gathering her mom and aunts, and grabbing Chris' hand. She shimmered out of the vampire's lair with the sound of their mournful screams echoing through the air.

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Piper raised a hand to her forehead and looked at Phyra. "You shimmered. How did you shimmer? How did she shimmer?" she asked frantically.

"We swapped her powers with Cole's." Chris answered quickly as he knelt down beside Wyatt. He raised his hands over Wyatt's head and healed the gash that was slowly oozing blood from where the Queen had knocked him out on the stone.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Paige screamed.

"We swapped her powers with Cole's. Aunt Paige, it was the only way we could have gotten out of there. The force field would have repelled anything else." Chris explained, wincing at the tone of his aunt's voice.

"You had no right to do that, Chris. You know how dangerous switching powers can be. The last time we tried that, innocents got your mom and Phoebe's powers! Innocents, Chris! That spell is far too dangerous. Phyra is my daughter. You had no right to try and screw with her powers." Paige was pacing, still keeping an eye on her silent daughter.

Cole spoke for the first time. "We had to do it, you know. It was the only way that you guys would have gotten out of there alive."

"Oh, really? So big tough, bad-ass demon that you are, you couldn't go instead. You couldn't go and do it, instead of risking my baby's life?" Paige whirled on him, poking him in the chest with one finger.

"I didn't want to leave the other girls alone. The last time we did that, a herd of demons attacked them. At least with Phyra's powers, I had some chance of helping them fight them off if another set of demons came in. Look, Paisley is too pregnant to be fighting demons. Patience doesn't have any active defensive powers, and Peyton was upset over Phyra getting taken to start with. I thought I was helping. I'm sorry if you're pissed about it. But look, no harm was done. We'll just swap our powers back and that'll be the end of it." Cole argued back.

"Well, then let's just do it, ok? Then I can yell at you more later." Paige snapped.

"Fine." Cole snapped back just as testily.

"Ok, Phy you just have to say the spell again with Cole, and things will all be back to normal." Chris touched her shoulder.

"You know, Chris. I don't think so. I'm keeping these powers. They're WAY cooler than my normal ones." Phyra said, eyes flashing.

"Phy…you can't do that. Remember what you said about the seductiveness of them? You can't let them come over you. They're evil powers. Don't let them turn you evil." Chris begged softly.

"I'm not evil, Chris. I'm…determined. I've gotta go. I've got a plan. There are a few people I need to go visit. I just realized for the first time, how beautiful revenge is." Phyra patted Chris' arm and shimmered away before anyone could say anything.

"That BRAT! Go get her! Right now! First she used a spell to stop me from using my powers, now she steals them!" Cole burst out angrily. Before he could control it, a stream of fire shot out from his palm.

Chris acted quickly, deflecting the fire telekinetically into the fireplace. "Okay, Cole. Calm down. The last thing we need now is a fire. We'll get your powers back. PEYTON!"

Peyton orbed in immediately. "What's wrong? Oh, God, where's Phy? You said you'd go get her Chris. What went wrong?"

"We did go get her. She's okay, except that she has Cole's powers and doesn't want to give them back. She said something about making some visits and revenge. Any ideas who'd she'd want revenge on?" Chris asked quickly. Wyatt was already at the map with a crystal, scrying for Phyra.

"Oh, no. She wouldn't…" Peyton trailed off nervously.

"She wouldn't what? What are you talking about Pey?" Chris pounced on her words like a tiger on fresh meat.

"I…Nothing. Just a stray thought. It was nothing though." Peyton wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"Peyton, Phyra has demonic powers. Those powers are going to take her over, and if we can't stop her, she'll do things that she's going to regret when we do get her powers swapped back. Tell me what you know." Chris commanded harshly.

"Chris, I can't. We promised that we'd never, ever tell about it. Never, ever." She started to cry.

"Pey, I get that you don't want to tell me. I understand you want to keep your secret. But I need to know, honey. Tell me what you know, so I can help Phyra." Chris' voice was gentle now. He was mentally bracing himself. It didn't take his empathy to know that what he was about to hear was going to be rough.

"I...Umm…a m…month ago, Phy, Patience and me were at Magic School. We were practicing with our p...powers. Me and Phy were throwing fire and water bombs at Patience and she'd see how fast she could put her shield up before anything hit her. We were the only ones around, so we knew it wasn't a big deal. But…but then these other k…kids came in. Before we knew what was going on, they surrounded us. They threw a potion at us, and it took Patience's shield down. One of them could manipulate time, and slowed it down so everything was sl…slow motion. They were really strong, Chris. They threw energy balls at us, and kept hitting us with them, over and over again. Every time we tried to fight back, they deflected our fire and water balls so easy because they were so slow. Even the weakest tele…kinetic could have moved them out of the w...way. We were getting really weak from the energy balls, and we couldn't orb. Pr…professor R...riley came out, and saw th...them. M...m…made them stop. He h…healed us all. Ph…Phy wouldn't let him call Mom or any…anyone. Said we…were…Ha…Halliwells, and should have b…been able to b...beat them." Peyton was crying, and couldn't say anymore.

Chris immediately pulled her into a tight hug. He closed his eyes against the rage that was building inside of him at the thought of three of his cousins being tormented that way.

"That's what they kept saying. Over and over again. 'I guess the Halliwells aren't so tough after all.' 'You're all too weak to fight alone…you always need the Charmed Ones to save you.' None of us wanted anyone to know, especially Phyra though. She said that she had the most active powers of the three of us, and should have been able to make them stop. Nothing we had was powerful enough. That potion cut our powers in half. We just didn't have the power after that." Patience spoke quietly from the doorway. "Professor Riley only agreed not to tell you after Phyra threatened him. She said you guys would blame him too, and that she'd make sure she told Chris and Wyatt that he was the one that taught the potions class that showed the students how to halve a power. And then you guys would go looking for him too."

Chris' voice was rusty with regret as he stared at his two cousins. "I need names. Phyra has all the power she could ever need now. And it's all demonic."


	14. Hell Hath No Fury

**A/N: I just wanted to let everyone know that I am no longer in control of this story. I swear it has a mind of its own! The whole Magic School attack was never part of my plan; it just kinda popped up on its own. So anyway, thanks for sticking with me. **

**punkrockprincess- Glad you enjoyed.**

**Good Witch- Sorry! I just couldn't see Chris as a vampire. I actually tried to write it that way after you mentioned it before, but it just didn't work. Sorry! Hope you're not too disappointed.**

**JadeAlmasy- Magic School is indeed in for a rude awakening… : )**

**Altaira- Thank you so much! I try to update every weekday. Weekends are tough for me because I'm so busy, but I do try to get in at least a few updates per week.**

**drew fuller is the best- Chris & Wyatt's relationship with Phyra is one of my favorite parts too! For some reason, she just ends up easier to write and converse with Chris & Wyatt than the other girls. Who knew?**

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"No. No, Chris. Names are the one thing we won't give you." Patience answered stubbornly.

"Patience, Phyra is going to go after them. She may even kill them! We need to know who they are, so that we can stop her!" Chris' voice was loud, but full of regret.

"No, we aren't telling you." Peyton went to stand beside her cousin, agreeing both in word and actions.

"You two don't understand! If we don't stop her, she is going to kill innocents!" Chris yelled in frustration.

"NO! You are the one that doesn't understand, Chris! You have no idea what it's like to be powerless, because you've always been powerful. You've always had all these awesome powers that the rest of us would die for. You've never been helpless." Patience's voice was strained and full of pain.

"This isn't about power. This is about revenge. Phyra is going to kill them for revenge." Wyatt finally spoke, breaking into Patience's rant.

"Good." Peyton answered coldly.

"No, not good, Pey! They are innocents, and we don't kill innocents, remember?"

"THEY ARE NOT INNOCENTS!" Peyton screamed at Wyatt. "They are the worst type of evil out there! How can you two stand here and stick up for them? How can you agree with what they did?"

Chris raised his gaze to the ceiling, studying the beams with false intensity. He blew out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Look, innocent is the wrong word. You're right. But no matter what they did, they don't deserve to get killed for it. They deserve to have the shit kicked out of them. They deserve to be punished with expulsion from Magic School forever. They deserve to have their powers taken away. But they don't deserve death."

Neither Patience nor Peyton answered, but looked a little more relaxed.

"Please, believe us. We will punish them. They will not get away with this. But we also cannot allow Phyra to be their executioner. If we do, we lose our cousin. How does that help any of us?" Wyatt walked over to the girls, and wrapped them both in a hug.

"How would we lose her? She wouldn't regret it, you know." Patience mumbled into Wyatt's shoulder.

Leo finally spoke from his spot by the book with the rest of the stunned adults. "The Elders have rules on killing good magical beings. Chances are, if Phyra kills another witch that has used good magic, she'll be recycled." He looked sick.

"You'd kill her, Uncle Leo? You'd kill her for trying to avenge us?" Peyton looked stricken at him, piercing him with her sad green eyes.

"I'd fight the decision with everything I have, Pey. But ultimately, I would be out-voted. And if I threaten them again, they'll recycle _my_ soul." Leo answered sadly.

Peyton started to cry again, and looked at Patience. "Okay. We'll tell you. But you have to promise, Chris. You and Wyatt both, that you won't let them get away with it. You promise?" Peyton stared at her clasped hands.

"I promise." They replied in unison. "Help us out here, ok?" Chris asked. "We need their names."

"Ben and Jacob Mulrooney, Trevor and Katrina Watson, Byron Tucker, Jack Simpson, Luke Turner…" Peyton's voice trailed off.

"Seven? There were seven of them?" Wyatt asked, aghast.

"No. There were actually eight. Pey left off the worst one. Mark Gideon, you know, the elder's grandson?" Patience finished almost at a whisper.

"Gideon's grandson? That little bastard!" Chris swore, feeling his anger start to consume him. "How much more does that family think they're going to get away with?" he asked the room in general.

Wyatt nodded to his brother. "She'll go to him first. He's the strongest."

"Yeah, I know. If she can break him, she'll be able to use him as an example to the others." Chris replied with a heavy sigh as he grabbed a scrying crystal.

"What are you doing? Go get her!" Paige yelled, finally moving from her frozen position next to Piper. Now that she had heard the horrors her girls had gone through, she was in a hurry to get them both together so she could spoil them rotten for a week or two. All thoughts of punishments from disobeying earlier were forgotten.

"Aunt Paige, I don't know where he lives. Remember? After Dad killed Gideon, his family cloaked themselves from the rest of the magical community. They didn't want to be shunned. It's only in the past few years they've even let their kids go to Magic School." Chris' tone left no doubt that he wished they'd kept themselves fully cloaked.

"They live in New York, Chris. In a tiny town called Malone. They own a general store, and live in a big grey house with a stone chimney and a picket fence. There are lots of daisies and daffodils along the walkway."

All eyes were once again on Peyton. "How…how do you know that?" Phoebe asked. "You don't get premonitions."

"No, I know. I know because I, um... well, I dated him for awhile this year. We broke up when I overheard him saying some particularly nasty things about Wyatt, Chris, and my Mom." She blushed and looked down again.

"Okay, look, we'll get into this later, Pey, alright? But for now, thanks. You helped us find Phy." Chris grabbed her hand and gave it a quick squeeze before orbing off. Wyatt paused a minute to murmur something to his father before following Chris out.

Paige and Phoebe slowly walked over to their daughters. "I wish you could have told us before this." Phoebe started. "But I guess I see why you couldn't. After Chris and Wyatt get Phy back, we all have to sit down and talk."

Piper broke in. "But until then, how about I whip up a batch of my famous peanut butter chocolate cookies, and we have comfort food?"

Patience and Peyton both flashed a grateful smile. "Sounds good to me, Auntie Piper." Patience added. Paige looked at Piper with a small shake of her head. "Sounds good to me too." Together the five of them walked out of the attic, not noticing Leo orbing away with Cole right behind him.

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Chris and Wyatt landed on the front walk of the house Peyton had described. It was a quiet neighborhood, and the house was silent.

Chris shrugged and looked at Wyatt. "Maybe they're not home?" As soon as the words were out, a crash sounded and an eerie blue light shone through one of the windows.

"How much you wanna bet that's Mark's room?" Wyatt gasped as he orbed again, this time into the house.

Chris flung open the door and both he and Wyatt came to a quick halt as they took in the scene in front of them. Their sweet cousin had found time to change clothes and was clad in skin tight black leather from head to toe. Her motorcycle boots clunked heavily with each step she took, and her face was covered in a thick layer of dark makeup. In her hand, she held an athame. The other hand cradled an energy ball. Mark, her target, was holding an energy ball of his own, and trying to use his telekinesis to move her away from him.

Almost simultaneously, they each threw their energy balls. As they hit each other, a blue explosion echoed through the room. Phyra threw her athame, aiming dead for his heart. Chris threw up his hands, and froze the athame in its flight. Phyra whirled and threw another energy ball before she saw who it was behind her. Wyatt easily deflected it into the wall, leaving a huge black scorch mark. Phyra growled, and this time called up a fire ball, preparing to hurl that too.

"PHYRA! Stop it!" Chris yelled. "This isn't the way to do it, baby. Peyton and Patience told us what he did. We'll make him pay. This isn't the way." He ducked the fireball as Wyatt levitated to miss it.

"I'm already making him pay. Leave me alone." She turned back to Mark, and brought up another fireball.

Chris telekinetically grabbed the fireball away. Wyatt wrapped his arms around her tightly, pinning her arms at her sides to keep her from firing off any more ammo. Chris reached over and grabbed Mark by the shirt collar, pulling him up roughly. Together Chris and Wyatt orbed away with their unwilling passengers in tow.

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"AUNT PAIGE!" Chris screamed as he orbed in.

His aunt immediately appeared in the attic. "Oh my God, please don't tell me you were too late!" she worried before her orbs had fully cleared.

"No, no, nothing like that. We got her, but we need two cages. We have to contain both of them for now, until we can get Phy changed back. Then we'll deal with this garbage." Chris poked Mark once, then again, just because he didn't like the smirk on the kid's cocky face.

"Crystals" Paige called, and threw them in a circle on the floor. Chris pushed Mark into it roughly, hearing the kid's protest at his roughness.

Chris leaned up close to the walls of the cage. "Shut up. Just shut up. You are getting off easy, you hear? If you think this is bad, just wait until we get Phy back to normal. Then there won't be anything stopping me from attacking you, and taking you out." Chris' normally bright green eyes had darkened and Mark could see a hint of something sinister in them.

Wyatt orbed in with Phyra unconscious in this arms. "Wy! Jesus, what happened?" Chris ran to their side, and started to heal Phyra instinctively. Wyatt knocking his hands away.

"I had to knock her out, Chris. She kept shimmering away from me. I'd have her, start to orb, and she'd shimmer away. Luckily, I was able to find her each time. Finally after I chased her to India, I'd had enough, and smacked her just hard enough to make her pass out, so that I could get her home. We can heal her once she's in the cage." Paige couldn't help it. She started to laugh at the frustration in her big burly over-protective nephew.

"More crystals" Paige called for a second set of crystals, and set them up in the opposite end of the attic near the Book of Shadows. Wyatt laid Phyra in gently and laid his hand over her head, healing the slight bruise he'd left. She woke up, and he quickly laid the last crystal in place, trapping her inside. She slapped the floor angrily and started cursing at both Wyatt and Chris.

Wyatt stared at Phyra and sighed. "I'll go get some food. This might take awhile."

Chris watched before getting to his feet and heading to the book. "I'll go through the book and see if I can find some loophole in the Switching Powers spell to get it to undo itself with only one party saying the spell."

Paige listened in shock as her daughter kept swearing at Chris and Wyatt. She looked over at her two nephews with a look of frustration. "I'll go get the soap."

Wyatt and Chris both stopped and looked at their Aunt in confusion.

"I know someone that needs her mouth washed out."


	15. Getting Answers

**A/N: Thanks again to all my loyal reviewers. You guys are the best!**

**JadeAlmasy- Don't worry, you won't feel sorry for Mark for long. He's a total punk, trust me!**

**pitaC89- I agree, Phy is kind of a brat, but still I think she's my favorite character next to Chris & Wyatt. **

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Cole stared in wonder as he looked around the cloud he was standing on. "Leo, where the hell are we?"

"Don't say that word around here! We're 'Up There'. You know, Elder-land. We're on a recon mission. Just shut up and try not to activate any of Phyra powers." Leo rushed out in a whisper. "Do you have any idea how much trouble I'll be in if someone notices you as a de…well, something other than a white lighter?" As powerful as he was, even Leo was nervous about bringing a demon 'Up There'.

"But what are we doing up here? I mean, we already know what's going on. We don't need any information, do we?" Cole didn't like his surroundings. He was far more comfortable on earth where you could see the battle between good and evil on every street corner. Up here, there was nothing but purity, sweetness and light. It was starting to make him ill.

"You're wrong. We need to see what they know about Phyra. There is no precedence for what has happened to her. She's strong enough that she shouldn't have been seduced by your evil powers in such a short time. The fact that she was is curious. Wyatt asked me to check it out."

"Hey, my powers are the best, that's all. You can't find a more powerful lure to evil than the mighty Balthazor's powers." Cole grinned cockily.

Leo ignored him. "Phyra is a Halliwell. She is descended from the strongest magical line there is. Evil shouldn't have been able to take her over so easily, at least not this completely."

"Yeah, well, Phoebe is a Halliwell too, and a Charmed One. But I turned her evil and made her my Queen fairly easily. Plus she was infected by the Woogyman that time. And wasn't she also a Banshee at one point? If anything, the girls' extreme powers make them more vulnerable." Cole pointed out.

"Not all of them, just Phoebe. And that's only because she was born on the Nexus. It's the same with Wyatt. It's scary, but like it or not, they are just as predisposed to evil as good. That's why they have to be taught to embrace good instead. So that when they are inevitably turned evil at one point or another, they will have a good background that we can reach out to."

"You're wrong, Leo. It's not just Phoebe and Wyatt. Each and every member of your family has flirted with evil at one point or another. Paige was a vampire, the Goddess of War and she was possessed by a dead woman's pissed off spirit. Piper has been a Wendigo, possessed by a she-witch that turned her into Coyote Piper of all things, she was turned evil by Excalibur's powers, and to top it all off, she was the Angel of Death for a day! And don't even get me started on all of your kids! Face it, Leo, evil is sexy, it's tempting and it is intoxicating. Every single member of your family has tasted its sweetness. And as far as I can tell, none of them have ever stayed that way. So what are you so worried about?" Cole ranted.

"Cole, you don't get it, do you? In another time line, Wyatt was the ruler of all Evil! All of that power had to go somewhere. Wyatt doesn't have it. He's powerful and strong, granted. He has more powers than most other magical beings, except maybe Chris. But he's not as powerful as he was in that other timeline. So where did that power go? According to Chris, Phyra didn't exist in the other timeline. If she has Wyatt's missing powers, and is still evil too, then we have a big problem." Leo snapped angrily.

"Leo. Follow me here for a minute. I have Phyra's powers. She has mine. Whatever powers she was born with, she doesn't have now."

"No, instead, she has all the powers of a former Source. Pardon me if that doesn't reassure me." Leo walked by Cole, heading towards Elder headquarters.

"What are they going to tell you, Leo? Cryptic messages about a powerful source? Maybe a general 'we have active evil powers gaining powers'? The Elders never tell the sisters or you for that matter, anything useful. We'd be better off to be back at the manor making potions or trying spells. This is pointless. When are you going to realize that the Elders don't give a damn about the Halliwells? All they care about is keeping a balance between good and evil." Cole argued.

Leo whirled on him angrily. "In case you've forgotten, I AM an elder. And you're right. The number one concern is keeping a balance. You wanna know why, Cole? When Chris got his memories of his other future, I made a solemn vow that my sons would never live in that world ever again. I'll never let my son grow up thinking that there is no point in fighting for good. I'll never let them think that they don't have a family that loves and protects them. I'll never watch him die again, Cole. If that means trying to figure out cryptic message and general warnings, then so be it. It's better than the alternative."

Leo pulled open the door to the Elder's Hall angrily. Cole sighed and followed resignedly. "I hope I don't get myself vanquished just for walking in the door to this place" he muttered to himself.

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"_Let this girl, quick as a sneeze,  
Stop this snit and quickly freeze." _

Paige sighed in relief as Phyra froze inside her cage, instantly stopping her tantrum. "Thanks, Grams" she smiled inwardly as she glanced up.

"What did you just do?" Chris asked, looking up from the book abruptly.

"I just used one of Grams' spells she used on your Mom and Aunts when they were teenagers. She used it again on Piper when you were just a baby and they were trying to rid Wyatt of his sibling rivalry." She shrugged. "So, did you find anything useful?"

"Not really. The entry on switching spells says that it has to be voluntary on both parts. One person can't do it alone, at least not without the will of the other party. Basically, as long as Phy wants the evil powers, she keeps them, no matter what Cole has to say about it."

"Mom, did you get Phy's powers…back?" Peyton's voice trailed off as she stared at Mark still trapped in his cage. "What is HE doing here?"

"He's our prisoner, Pey. This way he can't cause you guys any harm, and we'll be able to find him easily after we get Phy straightened out."

Peyton walked over to the cage where Mark was held. "So she didn't kill you, huh?"

"The little bitch couldn't kill me. I'm too powerful. Even when you Halliwell brats steal someone else's powers, you're still not strong enough to kill me. Instead you need your big bad cousins to come get me. Whatever. You think you're so great…but you can't handle someone teasing you a little. You're pathetic." Mark sneered at Peyton through the bars of his cage.

"Oh really?" Peyton shot her hand up and threw a stream of ice water directly into his cage, hitting him full in the face. She drew up her other hand, and froze the water that was running down his face, encasing him in a thin sheet of ice. "Who's pathetic now?" she asked him bitterly.

"Peyton!" Chris yelled. "Unfreeze him! You know you can only do that to demons. He can't breathe under that ice."

Peyton glowered for a second, then with a wave of her finger, a space around Mark's nose and upper lip melted away, allowing him to breathe, but not talk. "There, now he can breathe. Happy?"

Chris sighed. Secretly, he was both amused and proud that his cousin was finally standing up to this overgrown brat. "Look, I get that you're pissed at him, okay, Peyton. But you don't want to let yourself get as bad as he is. He used his powers to torment, and soon that is going to bite him in the ass. Don't let the same happen to you."

Peyton didn't answer him. She just stared at her frozen ex-boyfriend. "You know what pisses me off the most, Chris? He didn't start being a jerk until he heard my last name. Once he heard the word Halliwell, he was impossible."

"I'm sure in his family Halliwell is a curse. How did you ever get mixed up with him in the first place?" Chris walked over to her, and steered her towards the sofa. Paige kept still, not wanting her daughter to notice her and clam up.

"He was in my advanced telekinesis class at Magic School. Everyone else had normal TK, like you, but I was the only one with Orb-TK. It made me stand out, I guess. I knew he was older, but he was really nice that first day. We just kinda hung out, and then we went to his house. We didn't do anything!" Peyton hurried as the look on Chris' face turned dark. "I swear. He'd forgotten his books for his next class, and we just went to his house, grabbed a snack and the books, and then went back to Magic School. Anyway, later that day he found out my last name. Then he just turned into a jerk."

"You know, it might just be because he's older than you. He probably wanted to look big in front of his friends. I mean, Pey, you're only 15. He's 18, almost 19. That's a pretty big age difference."

"No it's not. It's only 3 ½ years, Chris. Your dad is like 70 years older than your mom."

Chris laughed. "I guess you got me there. But seriously, Dad is also a white lighter. It is a different thing, you know."

Peyton grinned. "Yeah, I guess so." She fell silent for a minute, comfortable in her cousin's safe embrace. "Chris?" She continued at his soft murmur of accent. "Did you ever do stuff like this to girls? Were you and Wyatt both jerks too?"

Chris started, and shifted uncomfortably. "Honestly, Pey, yeah, we were jerks too. I think all guys are at one point or another. But we never tormented others with our powers. And any fights we were ever in, we didn't use our magic, just our fists. It wasn't fair any other way."

"So, in other words, you had no problem being a jerk, but you still played fair." Peyton finished for him.

"We had no choice but to play fair, Pey. Mom and Dad would've yanked our powers so fast we wouldn't have known what hit us if we'd ever done what he and his friends did." Wyatt answered for Chris. He'd listened to their conversation silently from just outside the door.

"Good. You must have gotten better, though, huh? Cause Abby and Maya don't seem to mind you the way you are."

"We got lucky. Seriously, Pey, all guys are jerks some of the time. Part of the time, it's on purpose, and part of the time it's a mistake. There's no way you'll get away from that ever. I guess you just have to figure out if the jerk part is bigger than the human, honest, nice guy part. If you can figure that out, you'll be all set." Chris stood up and stretched. As he did, he knocked over a coat rack, sending it crashing to the floor. He groaned and picked it up, upsetting the lid of the trunk next to it in the process. "Oy…" he grumbled at himself, as he started to close the trunk.

He stopped suddenly and froze, staring intently into the trunk.

"Chris? What are you staring at?" Wyatt asked, watching his brother go still.

Chris reached into the trunk and pulled out an athame. He grinned at Wyatt. "I think I just came up with a plan."

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Leo stormed into the Elder's hall, ready for some answers. "I have an issue and I need an answer." He said, walking confidently up to the table that was already surrounded by elders.

"I assume your issue has something to do with your family as usual, Leo?" Thomas asked in a stuffy tone.

"You're an elder. Why do you have to assume anything? Shouldn't you know?" Cole asked dryly, unable to shut up.

Thomas glared at Leo. "How dare you bring a demon to this place? Don't you remember what happened the last time a demon was here? The Titans just about killed us all! Isn't that when you became an elder? What, does one of your sons want a position now too?"

Leo's eyes flashed and Cole took a step, putting himself between Leo and Thomas.

"You know, Thomas. No one in my family wants to be an elder. Not even me. Cole was right. I'm sick of the cryptic bullshit. I quit."

Cole applause was the only sound left behind after they had orbed away in unison.


	16. Reversing the Curse of Evil

**A/N: Well, this site has now changed the policy regarding review replies. Now we're not supposed to put them in the stories, instead, we can reply direct to the review, and you'll get an email. So, I guess from now on, if you want a reply, you'll have to send a signed review. Sorry! I still appreciate all the reviews, and hope they'll keep coming. I will answer as many as I can through the reply link.**

**Also- This update will be the last one until at least Monday, Nov. 28th. With Thanksgiving and lots of family commitments, I'm going to be too busy to get online after today. I promise you all an update by Tuesday at the latest though. Happy Turkey Day to everyone!**

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"Chris, you can't do that! That is a demon's athame! You can't stab our cousin." Wyatt said firmly.

"Why not, Wyatt? Think about it. We need to get the demonic powers out of her. We stab her with the power-sucking athame, and the demonic powers are gone."

"The demonic powers might be gone, but you'll kill her Chris!" Paige yelled.

"Aunt Paige, we all can heal. As soon as the powers are sucked out with the athame, Wyatt and I can both start to heal her. She'll be fine; it's just going to take some timing, that's all."

"And what about Cole, Chris? Don't you think he's going be pissed that he can't get his powers back because they're stuck in the athame?" Wyatt added in frustration.

"I'll get my powers back. I know a spell to give myself powers that are locked in an athame." Cole spoke, orbing into their conversation.

"Dad! What did you find out? Did they say anything that would help us?" Wyatt asked eagerly.

"No." Leo's answer was uncharacteristically short and harsh.

Chris and Wyatt exchanged a look. "Are you okay, Dad? What's wrong?" Chris asked tentatively. Generally when an elder had bad news, it was really bad news.

"They didn't want to hear about our issue, Chris. Apparently, the Halliwell's haven't done enough over the years to warrant some help from the elders. It pissed me off."

"Oh, God, Dad, you didn't kill one of them did you? Wyatt, quick… we need to work on a cloaking spell for dad, so they can't find him." Chris hurried to the book, as Wyatt grabbed the nearest pen and paper he could find.

Leo started to laugh. "Chris, Wyatt… I don't need a cloaking spell. I didn't kill anyone."

"Cole!" Wyatt gasped. "Cole killed them! C'mon Chris, hurry! I know that spell was in there somewhere!"

"Hey! I didn't kill anyone. I mean, it's not like I'm lily white, but give me a little credit!" Cole protested loudly.

"So, who killed them then?" Wyatt asked, confused.

"No one killed anyone, Wyatt. Chris completely read me wrong. I told them I quit, that's all. I'm not going to be an elder any more."

Chris and Wyatt looked at each other for a few seconds. _Damn, I was kinda hoping for bloodshed, ya know?_ Chris sent the thought to Wyatt telepathically.

Wyatt started laughing, leaving Leo and Cole lost in confusion. "Wy, what is so funny about me quitting? I thought you might be upset, but not amused."

Wyatt sobered instantly. "Dad, I'm not upset or amused. Honestly, I'm more relieved than anything. At least now they aren't going to be calling you every three seconds, and leaving you to worry about us. You'll be a regular white lighter, like Chris & I are. Monthly meetings with the elders, and a jingle when something big happens. Plus, this will make mom happy. You'll finally be able to spend the quality time with her that she's been wanting for years. I think it's a good change, dad."

"Wy's right. It works out better for all of us that you aren't going to be consumed with Elder duties anymore. We'll all be able to spend more time with you, plus you'll be able to spend more time doing the job we know you love the most." Chris added.

"Chris, the job I love most is being a dad. Nothing else is more important to me than that." Leo was stricken at the thought that Chris might have thought again that a job was more important.

Chris laughed. "Relax, Dad. You love us, that's cool. You're the best. We've never wondered about that. But let's face it. Being an elder isn't the job that you enjoy. You love working at Magic School. Teaching young witches how to use their magic is what brings you alive. And let's face it, judging by what happened to the girls, Magic School could definitely use some more adults on the campus."

"You know, Chris, that's a pretty good idea." Leo answered slowly. "Either way, I'll talk to your mom. We'll figure out something. But anyway, the point is, I don't have an 'in' with the elders anymore. If we need information from them, someone else is going to have to orb up and talk to them. I have a feeling I'm persona non grata for awhile."

"No problem, dad. Chris and I can handle it. Besides, it's not like they ever tell us much anyway." Wyatt answered easily.

"Alright, then Wy, we're back to the athame. We've got to try this so that we can get the powers of Phy. After the powers are safely in the athame, you heal her as fast as you can. Then we'll have Cole say the power switching spell to give Phy her powers back, and then he can call his powers back out of the athame. Everything should be back to normal."

"Chris, that's a pretty risky plan. What happens if I can't heal her in time? She'll die. All because we used a stupid athame on her." Wyatt argued.

"Look, Wy, we don't have any other plan. We have to do something, because she looks pretty freakin' happy with evil powers. Look at her!" Chris pointed to the cage where Phyra was sitting. She was smiling as she braided her hair into tiny braids all over her head, all the while humming the tune to 'I Wanna Be Bad'.

Wyatt winced visibly. "Chris, I'm thinking new rule for the girls. No music with lyrics that suggest sex, k? Ugh…" he shuddered at the thought of his baby cousins having sex.

Chris sighed. "Wyatt. Focus, here. We need to get those powers out of Phyra. She is not giving them up by herself, so we have to force them out. If you have another plan other than the athame, great, let's hear it. Otherwise, dismantle the cage, because I'm going in." Chris reached the cage in two long strides. He stared back over his shoulder. "Wy?"

Wyatt sighed and joined his brother. "This better work, Chris." He made a flicking motion with one finger, and one of the crystals moved away, breaking the circle. Chris immediately stabbed Phyra in the stomach with the athame, letting it settle there for a few seconds. A red glow came out of her face, and her original features and clothing reappeared in a wave. Chris quickly pulled the athame back out, as Wyatt started to heal.

They watched carefully as Phyra sat up with a groan. "Ow." She moaned, holding her stomach. She slapped Chris. "You jerk! You stabbed me!"

"Yeah, well you didn't want to return what wasn't yours. It was the only way, so stop it." Chris' voice was short, his temper finally rising to atmospheric levels. "Normally, Phyra you are the most level headed cousin that Wyatt and I have. But in the space of a day, you've used your magic for personal gain, when you trapped Cole here, you were taken by a hybrid vampire and could have gotten killed because of carelessness, and you were evil. You've had quite a day, huh? It would serve you right if we didn't give you back your powers for a few days. Maybe then you wouldn't take them for granted so much."

Phyra couldn't look him in the eye. Instead, she glanced over at Cole. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have cast that spell to leave the manor. I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd just said to hell with it, and left me with the Vampire Queen. But instead, you tried to help me. And I even screwed you over that way too and tried to keep them for myself. I really am sorry."

Cole knelt down. "It's okay. You didn't mean to cause any harm. And as far as my powers go, well they're pretty powerful. It's easy to get taken over by them. Besides, like I was telling your Uncle Leo, being seduced by evil is pretty much a family tradition for the Halliwells. It was only a matter of time before it happened." He smiled at her, and wiped away the tear that ran down her cheek.

"_What's mine is yours  
What's yours is mine  
Let our powers cross the line  
I offer up my gift to share  
Switch our powers through the air."_

Phyra gasped in awe as she saw her powers rise from inside of Cole, and settle back into her body, washing over her in comfortable waves.

Cole took the athame from Chris and without any hesitation, plunged it into his own stomach.

"_Give me the powers_

_I take from this knife._

_Let me take from them_

_And give me new life."_

Cole pulled the athame out without making a sound, and looked down at his stomach. Maroon rays were sealing the wound closed, and he grinned wolfishly as he felt his own powers rushing through him. He cracked his neck. "I love magic."

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"Okay, so here's how we handle this alright?" Chris addressed the assembled gathering of his family. "For starters, we'll let Dad handle the administration of Magic School. These little brats aren't going to get away with this again. Number two, Wyatt and I will interrogate the little prick upstairs. When we're done, he'll be crying for his mommy. We will not kill him, no matter how tempted we may be. Third, Mom, Aunt Phoebe & Aunt Paige are going to round up the parents of the little bully posse, and put the fear of God…well, at least the fear of the Halliwells, into their bratty little kids. Finally, you girls…all of you, need to be honest with us. We can't help you guys if you don't tell us what's wrong. Empathy only works so well, thanks to the blocking potions. Unless it's life threatening, I won't pick it up, and neither will Aunt Phoebe. We can't keep secrets, any of us. If we do, and something goes awry, like earlier, then we have no protection. Our magic is individually and collectively too strong to screw around with. Since our emotions are all tied to our powers, we have to be careful. That means even if you think that telling us will piss us off, we still need to know."

Phyra and Peyton nodded solemnly, agreeing. Paisley answered aloud, "I know." Patience stayed stubbornly silent and motionless.

"Patience, this means you too. We need your agreement." Wyatt pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. But if you and Chris can keep secrets, then so can we. I know something is going on with both of you. I can feel it. The emotions aren't strong enough for me to know what it is, but I know there's something. So, you know what, Wy? If you guys don't have to be honest and open, then I don't either."

"Patience, you can't just…" Wyatt started but Chris' voice cut him off.

"No, Wy, she's right. We both keep secrets too. It's not fair. And it can be harmful. I guess, as much as it pains me, we've got to spill."

"They aren't ready, Chris." Wyatt's voice was firm.

"Doesn't matter, Wy. They all deserve to know. We have to tell them."

Wyatt sighed, knowing that his brother was right. He nodded "alright, but you start."

Chris stood and faced his family. "Ok, look, about a month ago, Wyatt had this premonition…"

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**A/N: Evil, ain't I: )**


	17. Growing Up Halliwell

**A/N: There was a little confusion again regarding what child belongs to whom. If you check in my profile, I have a list of characters that are in all my stories. It will explain who belongs to who, powers, ages, etc…**

**And by the way… I just have to mention this, because obviously if you all are reading this, then you love Charmed as much as me. WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE BOOBS AT THE WB DOING KILLING OFF LEO LAST NIGHT! Phew… Okay, hopefully that's out of my system now.**

**Onward with the story!**

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LAST TIME: _Chris stood and faced his family. "Ok, look, about a month ago, Wyatt had this premonition…"_

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Chris sat heavily in the big recliner that faced the couch. "We didn't want to worry anyone unnecessarily, so we didn't mention it to anyone. We figured, hell, we're both adults, we could handle it ourselves."

"Yeah, I mean, really. You know, if the Twice and Thrice Blessed witches couldn't handle one lousy premonition by themselves, that's pretty pathetic." Wyatt added, settling himself down next to his brother on the arm of the chair.

"You guys aren't invincible. None of us are. You know that we're most powerful together. When we all add our powers together is when we are most strong and the most effective. Why did you try to hide your premonition?" Phoebe asked, feeling hurt.

"It wasn't something we really made an effort to keep from you. It's just… everyone is so busy all the time. I mean, Mom has P3; Dad had his elder stuff plus Magic School classes. Aunt Paige had Magic School classes too, plus Uncle Jax and the girls to take care of. You have the paper, and Cole and the kids. It's just…Wyatt and I, we're not kids anymore. We're adults, and we didn't want keep acting like little kids running to you guys every single time the least little magic glitch happens. We know we're strongest together. But Wy and me, we're also really strong just the two of us. We figured it would just be a quick vanquish, and not a big deal. Plus, we really, really didn't want to worry you if we didn't have to." Chris looked up into the disappointed faces of his family and sighed heavily.

"Chris, I thought we'd established a long time ago, that we are never to busy for any of you. The club, Magic School, the paper…they will all wait. Our family comes first. It always has and it always will." Piper said softly with a hint of steel under her words.

"Mom, it's not that we thought you wouldn't care or that you wouldn't drop everything to help us. It's more that we really thought we could handle it on our own. Plus, like Chris said. We didn't want to worry you if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Especially not after Patrick." Wyatt explained hastily, hating the sad look on his mother's face.

Chris grinned, showing off his dimples. "But actually, if it makes you feel better, once Maya and Abby figured out what we were doing, they yelled at us and harassed us constantly to tell you guys."

"Maya and Abby know your big secret, and we don't? That sucks!" Patience cried out loudly.

"We know because we caught them interrogating a demon in our living room, Patience. Not because they were Lucy Loose Lips on the subject." Abby spoke from the doorway. Maya stood next to her, watching Chris closely.

"It was so hard for them. They wanted to tell you, but they also wanted to protect you. Chris said at one point that you'd spent his entire life trying to protect him, and that maybe it was time to return the favor." Maya added quietly.

"We tried to force them to tell you all. Nothing worked. And since, they both knew we'd never break their trust and go behind their backs, our hands were tied. All we could do is harass them to tell you." Abby finished.

"You should have told us yourself." Piper snapped at Abby.

"Piper, I'm sorry. Maybe I should have, a part of me even wishes I did. The truth is though, I love Wyatt. And I trust him, and his judgment. If he thinks what they were doing was right, then I wasn't going to betray his trust and tell you. I can't do that to him, any more than you could do it to Leo." Abby walked over to Wyatt, and gently rubbed her new husband's neck tenderly.

"Enough of this! What the heck is your big secret? What was the premonition? I swear you two drive me frickin' nuts!" Paisley ranted. The recliner both Chris and Wyatt were occupying exploded, sending bits of foam and fabric floating in the air as they both landed hard on the floor.

"PAISLEY!" both brothers yelled in frustration.

"Oops. Baby did it. Sorry." Paisley said sheepishly, biting her lip.

Maya started to giggle as Chris spit out a wad of foam that had lodged in his mouth somehow. Soon everyone was laughing except for Chris and Wyatt.

Wyatt looked at Abby, who was still standing next to the crumbled remains of the recliner biting her lips hard to keep from laughing aloud. "Even you, Mrs. Halliwell?" he asked, slightly irritated.

She couldn't hold back her laughter anymore, and dissolved into laughter, gasping out an explanation. "I just…the two most p…powerful witches in the w…world, are sitting on the f…floor covered in f…foam. And all b…beca…because of a b…baby that isn't even born yet!" She held her stomach as it started to ache from laughing.

Wyatt looked at Chris. "Somehow I'm not seeing the humor in the situation."

Chris looked back at his older brother. "Me neither. All I see is Maya and Abby just begging for a spanking. We get no respect."

Maya snorted at the fake threat. "Ha! I'd like to see you try it. You better have an army of thousands bucko, if you're thinking of spanking this!" she patted her butt playfully.

Chris finally chuckled, and stood up, extending his hand to Wyatt. He walked over to Paisley, knelt down and spoke directly to her stomach. "Bad baby. You're not supposed to blow up your cousins! That's not nice." He patted her stomach, and felt a hard kick beneath his hand. He laughed. "There's definitely a Halliwell in there…stubborn and vicious."

Wyatt quickly recited Paige's clean up spell, restoring the recliner, and sat back down.

"Seriously, guys. What's the premonition thing?" Paisley asked again, more calm this time.

"Wy saw your baby, Pais." Chris started gently.

"Oh no. Not the baby." Paisley wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively as Ryan instinctively held her closer.

"A demon was trying to kidnap the baby. It was on the same day you gave birth. For some reason, you were alone with only Ryan. You'd gone into labor, and Ryan was delivering the baby. A demon shimmered in just as you were pushing. Ryan yelled and managed to kill the demon, but he had to leave you to do it. You finished pushing, and the baby kind of…slid out. Seconds later two more demons shimmered in. They cut the cord with an athame, and stole your baby before you or Ryan could stop them. A few seconds later, the group of us orbed in, covered in demon blood, but we were all too late. Your baby was gone." Chris looked down, not wanting to see Paisley's face.

"A few minutes after I had my premonition, Chris got one too. This one was further in the future." Wyatt picked up the conversation. "Again, he saw your baby. Only this time, she was about 10 years old. She was evil. She had been trained by demons to kill good witches. He was trying to kill another little girl, a younger one. In the premonition, the other little girl said her name was Phoenix Halliwell. We haven't been able to figure out whose daughter she is yet. Your daughter killed her, Pais. Your little girl is going to be super powerful, and she's also going to be evil unless we can change it."

"E…evil? No, no that's not possible. She's a Halliwell. Good magic. Good, Wyatt! My baby is not born evil!" Paisley protested.

"Not born evil, Pais. But turned evil. I've been through the Book a thousand times, but I can't find the demons that took her. If we can figure out who they are, then we can figure out how they turned her, and how to keep it from happening." Chris explained.

"How could you keep this from me? Don't you think I had a right to know?" Paisley ranted. "I'm due in 10 days, Chris! That's not nearly long enough to find this demon and destroy him."

Phoebe got up and hugged her daughter. "Don't worry, Pais. Chris saved Wyatt from turning evil before. He can stop your baby from turning too. It's okay, we'll fix it." She turned to her nephews. "You should have come to us. This is too important for you guys to screw around with."

"Aunt Phoebe, we thought we could handle it. I'm sorry." Chris' voice was harsh and rough with regret and self-recrimination.

"Okay. Enough with the blame. We'll figure that out later. First things first. We've got to figure out a) what this demon is and b) how he turned her evil. We don't have a lot of time to do it in." Paige broke in.

"Paige is right. Chris, Wyatt, can you project your premonitions to the rest of us? Maybe one of us will recognize something about the demon." Piper looked at her boys, knowing that they felt horrible at keeping their secret, but at the same time were disgusted that they couldn't fix it on their own.

Wyatt nodded silently. He concentrated for a second, filing through his mind for the premonition before sending his mental image out. A magical screen appeared, much light a movie projector's screen, and Wyatt slowly exhaled as his premonition started playing.

"_C'mon, Paisley. Push! I see the head. You're doing so good. Come on, one more." Ryan coached enthusiastically. Paisley groaned and visibly gathered her strength as she pushed again. A tall slender demon shimmered in behind Paisley. Ryan yelled and stood up, stepping away from Paisley, reaching into his back pocket for the ceremonial athame they were planning to use to cut the cord. He threw it, hitting the demon with precision accuracy, sending him up in flames. He turned around at Paisley's scream, and saw two demons standing over her and their newly born baby. One of the demons raised his hand, palm out, temporarily paralyzing Ryan. The other demon held a scrolled athame in his hand, severing the umbilical cord in a jagged cut. The remains of the cord attaching to the baby turned dark and leaked blood. The demon that had cut the cord picked up the baby and shimmered away silently as Paisley broke free from her paralysis and screamed heartbrokenly. A group of orbs sounded as the entire family orbed into the room, dripping in blood and sweat, to the realization that they were too late._

Wyatt's premonition ended, and Chris turned to the screen Wyatt had kept up and sent his own premonition to it.

_A young girl stood on a playground. Bright yellow and blue slides with big red monkey bars stood silent in the background. The little girl was dressed in dark clothes, black pants and shoes, and a navy blue polo shirt. Her brown hair was pulled back in a severe ponytail, not letting any stray hairs fly around. A second girl entered the picture, this one in bright pink overalls with Tigger on the front and a sunny yellow shirt underneath. Her own brown hair was pulled into a sloppy set of pig tails, as she turned to the first girl. "Hi. I'm Phoenix. Phoenix Halliwell. Are you new here? I haven't seen you before." _

"_I know. You're the reason I'm here." The first girl answered coldly. "My mission was to find you, and eliminate you. Master says that you are the biggest weakness the Halliwells' have. Once you're gone, your dear old daddy won't know what to do!" the girl laughed chillingly, and plunged an athame into Phoenix's neck. She black orbed away as Phoenix whispered through her gurgling throat "daddy…help". _

_As Chris and Wyatt orbed in simultaneously, they watched as the Angel of Death led Phoenix away._

"Oh my God" Piper gasped, tears streaming down her face as she covered her mouth with her hands.


	18. Demon Spawn?

**A/N: As usual, big thanks to everyone who reviewed. I think I responded to everyone, but if I missed anyone, I'm sorry! It wasn't intentional. Please note at the bottom of the story there is going to be a poll. Please vote in your reviews, so you guys can help me with the direction my story. I'm kind of stuck, and need help.**

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Leo shot to his feet. "I've seen that athame before. I know I've seen it before."

"Dad, I've checked the book. It's not in there. I cross-referenced the athame with demons, there's absolutely nothing in there. It's like it doesn't even exist." Chris protested.

Leo nodded. "Yeah, I know you did, Chris. Still, I know I've seen that athame before. The scrolls on the handle, I just can't place where or when."

"Maybe you should go ask the elders, Dad." Wyatt suggested.

"No. Wyatt, I can't do that. I don't even want to do that. I broke ties with them for a reason. Elders have their own agendas. I don't want that to interfere in our agenda." Leo's voice was hard, still smarting from the insults the people he'd thought of as family had given him.

"What about Magic School, Leo? Maybe there'll be something in the library that will trigger your memory." Phoebe said quietly. Premonitions were always scary, but there was something about the coldness of that little girl that made Phoebe's skin crawl with fear.

"Good idea, Pheebs. I'll be at Magic School. If you need me, just yell. I'm only an orb away." Leo disappeared in a shower of blue and silver lights.

Chris looked over at Paisley and Ryan. They hadn't moved and were still staring at the space where the screen had been. "Hey, guys, we're going to fix this you know. Your baby is gonna be just fine."

Paisley looked over at him dazedly. "How can you say that? I just watched my baby kill one of your daughters! That's not okay!"

"You saw a premonition, that's all. It's a warning of what could happen if we don't change the circumstances. We've stopped hundreds of premonitions from coming true, Pais. We'll keep this one from coming true too." Chris knelt down in front of his cousin, touching her stomach softly. "Babies aren't born evil, Pais. They get turned evil. We won't let that happen. I won't let that happen."

"By the way, how do you know it's Chris' daughter, Pais? We both orbed in at the same time in the premonition. Phoenix could just as easily be mine." Wyatt added, a little bit jealous that the beautiful little girl was going to be his brother's child.

She snorted. "You guys seriously didn't see it?" Both Wyatt and Chris shook their heads.

"She had light brown hair, green eyes, dimples and that stubborn little chin. She also had Maya's smile. Plus the whole time, she kept her hands in her pockets. Who else do we know that has a habit of keeping his hands shoved in his pockets?" She looked pointedly at Chris, who was standing next to Wyatt with his feet spread apart and his hands shoved into his pockets.

"My daughter…" Chris breathed the words softly, almost reverently. He looked over Paisley's head to Maya, who had an identical look on her own face.

"It won't matter whose daughter she is. If we don't figure this out, she's going to be killed by my daughter." Ryan broke the silence with his dire prediction.

"I'm getting my protection cage." Phyra announced suddenly. "Let a demon try to kidnap her then."

"No! Phy, if the baby is born inside a protective cage, it will protect her against her own powers. She'll be born mortal, and won't be able to get her powers. Her powers are activated when the soul meets the earth. If she's inside a protection cage, she won't get her powers." Paige stated quickly.

"Maybe that's not a bad thing, Aunt Paige." Paisley answered softly.

"What? Paisley, your baby's powers are her legacy. You can't deny her them." Phoebe protested.

"Actually, yeah, I can. I'm her mother. If she's going to use her powers for evil, then I'd rather she didn't have any at all."

"Paisley, look at me. Look at me." Piper ordered softly. "I understand more than you know. When Chris was born, I didn't want to have a wiccaning for him. I thought that maybe if he didn't have powers, he'd be protected from what happened in his other life happening again. But I did it, against my better judgment. Not because I thought that magic would solve all of his problems, or that it would be an easier life for him. I did it because to deny him his gift would have been selfish. In the end, it only would have hurt us all. Paisley, even if you keep your daughter from her powers, she is still a Halliwell. And a powerless Halliwell is nothing more than bait for demons. Can you imagine what could happen if a demon kidnapped her and she had no powers at all?"

Paisley paled and wiped the tears away that were running down her face. "But what if we can't fix it? What happens if she's turned evil no matter what we do?"

"Then I'll go back in time and fix it, just like I fixed Wyatt." Chris' voice was steady and calm. Paisley looked up into his eyes and calmed, seeing the full conviction there. "I promise you, Paisley. I'll keep both our little girls safe. I swear it."

Paisley nodded shakily. If there was one thing she trusted, it was that Chris took care of family first. If he was swearing to something, he'd move heaven and earth to make it happen. She looked over to her cousins and sister. "Why don't you guys go help Uncle Leo at Magic School? You guys know those books better than anyone since you helped organize the whole thing after Patrick blew up the bookcases when he was learning how to use his powers." She smiled gratefully as Phyra grabbed Patience's hand and orbed out with Peyton close behind.

Wyatt looked up as a jingling rang out in his head. "A charge is calling. I have to go." He orbed away quickly, feeling his charge's urgency.

"And I'll go start a po…" Chris broke off as he too got a call from a charge. "Mom, you'll have to work on the potion to ward off evil from the room. I've got to go to a charge too." He also orbed away before anyone could answer otherwise.

"Aw, crap." Paige muttered as she also started to hear jingling. She shared a look with her sisters. "This is almost too planned. Stick close to her, okay?" Piper and Phoebe nodded, concerned as she orbed away. Paige was right. Having one of the white lighters have a call from a charge was completely normal. Having all three get calls within minutes of each other was perplexing to say the least.

"I'm going to go get started on that potion. Better safe than sorry." Piper said nervously.

"I'll help you." Maya offered quickly. She usually helped Chris make them, but wanted to work with Piper. She knew that Piper was unusually close to her sons, and had to be taking both of their marriages pretty hard. Abby and Piper always butted heads, but Maya really wanted to make Piper love her. Without a mom of her own, she secretly thought of Piper as hers. Truthfully, she thought to herself, that's part of Chris' allure. Not only was he sweet, gorgeous, powerful, healthy, gorgeous, kind, loving, and, oh yeah, did she mention gorgeous, but he had a family that was big, sprawling and overtly loving. She couldn't wait to be a part of it.

"Okay, well then I'm going to go work on a spell. Maybe if I can't get the demon to pop up early, then we can trap him and make him tell us who he's working with." Phoebe said, heading up the stairs to the attic. It was her favorite and most productive spell-writing spot. Abby followed her, wanting to help, but not quite brave enough to go with Piper.

Ryan moved off the couch, swinging Paisley's feet up onto the spot he'd just vacated. "Why don't you just relax for a few minutes, okay, baby? I'll be right back; I'm going to make you some hot chocolate."

Paisley smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ry. I'm sorry to be such a scaredy cat."

Ryan grinned, and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Pai. Trust me; I'm even more scared than you are. I'm just good at hiding it. It's the shape-shifter in me."

Paisley laughed. "More like, it's the guy in you."

"Could be that too, I suppose. I'll be right back."

Paisley sank back into the soft couch with a sigh. Her back hurt, her head hurt and she was terrified for her baby. Maybe a little rest wouldn't hurt. She closed her eyes, and started to doze off.

A demon appeared silently from the corner, casting off his invisibility cloak, and started chanting in Latin. "exorior puerperium. exorior malus."

_(A/N: I don't know Latin, but I looked up these in a dictionary. Means "come forth childbirth, come forth evil.")_

Paisley immediately gasped, and clenched her stomach, coming fully awake. The demon quickly cloaked himself again. "RYAN!" she yelled, terrified.

Ryan came running into the room. "Oh my God. PIPER, PHOEBE! COME QUICK!"

A loud crash sounded in the kitchen. "DEMON!" Piper screamed, as several demons stormed the kitchen. Piper threw her hands up and started to blow up demon after demon as Maya started firing energy balls.

Ryan looked up as more thuds and crashes sounded from upstairs. Phoebe and Abby were busily fighting another group of demons.

"Ryan! Oh God... oh god, it hurts. I have to push… it hurts so much!" Paisley cried out.

Ryan knelt down beside the couch, and helped her to pull off her underwear and skirt. "Oh, shit." He swore, as he looked queasily. "CHRIS! WYATT! LEO! ANYONE!"

He looked back down at Paisley, seeing the head start to crown. "C'mon, Paisley. Push! I see the head. You're doing so good. Come on, one more." Ryan coached enthusiastically.

Paisley groaned and visibly gathered her strength as she pushed again.

A tall slender demon shimmered in behind Paisley. Ryan yelled and stood up, stepping away from Paisley, reaching into his back pocket for the ceremonial athame they were planning to use to cut the cord. He threw it, hitting the demon with precision accuracy, sending him up in flames. "CHRIS WYATT LEO!" He screamed again, recognizing the scene from Wyatt's premonition.

He turned around at Paisley's scream, and saw two demons standing over her and their newly born baby. One of the demons raised his hand, palm out, temporarily paralyzing Ryan. The other demon held a scrolled athame in his hand, severing the umbilical cord in a jagged cut. The remains of the cord attaching to the baby turned dark and leaked blood. The demon that had cut the cord picked up the baby and shimmered away silently as Paisley broke free from her paralysis and screamed heartbrokenly.

The sounds of the demon fights stopped abruptly, and Piper, Phoebe, Maya and Abby all ran into the living room. Orbs sounded as Chris, Wyatt, Paige, Leo and the girls orbed in together. Chris' head dropped to his chest in regret as Wyatt looked to the ceiling, searching for something no one could see.

No one could say anything as Paisley started sobbing hysterically.

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**A/N: Ok, so here's what I need from you guys. Please pick a choice to help me figure out where to go from here. Please try to vote ASAP, because I'd like to update again tomorrow if possible.**

**Do you think:**

**they should find the baby ASAP**

**they find the baby after a few weeks with the demons**

**they don't find the baby**

**Chris goes back to the past to fix things**

**Either Wyatt or Chris offers himself as a sacrifice for the demon**


	19. The Torture of Chaos

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who voted & reviewed. I appreciate it, and got SO many good ideas—even more than I offered. You guys are awesome!**

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"My baby… oh God… my baby." Paisley muttered, hugging herself and rocking back and forth.

"Paisley. Paisley, look at me. I will get our daughter back. I promise you, I will get her back." Ryan held her cheeks in his hands, and made the promise as he looked deep into her tear-filled brown eyes. Paisley sniffed, and nodded, not really believing him, but knowing that he needed to see it.

"Pais…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We should have told you about this before. We just…I thought you had longer before she was born. If I'd known…" Chris' voice trailed off.

"Its okay, Chris. It's not your fault. I think the demon is the one that made me have her so fast. It was so strange. One second I was sleeping, and the next, I was in hard labor, already pushing her out. It wasn't normal."

"Honey, sometimes labor can just come on fast, you know. It doesn't necessarily mean it was demonic." Phoebe murmured softly, smoothing Paisley's hair as she sat down next to her.

"Mom, this wasn't just a fast labor. I went from no contractions, just a headache, to pushing! That doesn't happen. C'mon, the entire process took like 2 minutes! It was a demon. I'm sure of it!" she argued.

Chris stood suddenly. "Book of Shadows!" he called as the large tome appeared in his hands. Quickly, he telekinetically flipped the pages, looking for a page he'd seen several times, but always overlooked.

"Demon of Chaos. This invisible demon lurks in secret while feeding on insecurities. He hides until his minions have created enough havoc in the world to leave the most vulnerable witches alone, and then attacks. This demon works closely with the Trefidor demons, preying mostly on pregnant women so that their children can be turned evil and trained as members of their army." Chris looked up after reading the entry aloud. He turned the book around so that the family could look at the picture.

"It sounds right, but Chris, there wasn't any demon here. At least, not one that I could see." Paisley pointed out miserably.

Chris and Wyatt exchanged a look. Wyatt grabbed the paper that Phoebe had left on the table, and quickly scratched out a spell of his own.

"_By the Goddess of Moon & Light,_

_Let us see what is beyond our sight."_

Piper gasped as the demon that had sent Paisley into labor was revealed next to her. The demon started to shimmer away, but Piper froze him with a quick potion of her hands. "Paige, quick, we need a cage so we can question him."

"I can't! We've still got that brat, Mark, in the cage." Paige called out frustrated.

"Let him go. We'll catch up to the little punk later." Wyatt's voice was dark and ominous as he watched the Demon of Chaos start to break free of Piper's freeze. He added a freeze of his own to reinforce the strength of Piper's.

"Damn it! Alright. Crystals!" Paige grumbled as she released Mark from his cage in the attic, and scattered them around the demon just as he broke free from the combination of Wyatt and Piper's freezes.

The demon screamed as the bars on the cage burned his hands when he grabbed hold of them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. That hurts like hell. Where's my cousin?" Phyra yelled angrily.

"I don't know. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." The demon lifted his soulless black eyes to meet Paisley's. "You'll never see her again. You may as well just forget about her."

"Halliwell's don't forget; especially when it comes to taking care of one of our own." Wyatt answered coldly.

The demon cackled in laughter. "Really, tell that to Patrick, it was, right? The one that you sacrificed for the greater good?"

"Don't you ever talk about my brother that way!" Paisley screamed, as she stood up. "Wyatt and Chris have nothing to be guilty about, they didn't forget. Patrick took matters into his own hands, and he did exactly what Wy just said. He didn't forget about them, he protected them at the steepest cost possible. We'll get my baby back. And when we do, you'd better disappear, because I'm coming for you, and when I do, you'll have no escape." Her anger was visible and the tendons in her neck were sticking out from tension.

"I'm so afraid of a witch whose only active power is levitation. Exactly what are you going to do to me? Fly me to the moon?"

Paisley smiled, a cold twisted parody of her normally sunny grin. "You really want to know? Do you really?" her voice was harsh and barely above a whisper.

"Face it, Paisley. You have no powers that can hurt me. The only way you'll ever get revenge on me is by using your two cousins over there. Even the Power of Three isn't strong enough to hurt me." The demon taunted.

"Oh really? Then you won't be affected at all by this, then right?

_Halliwell powers through the air,_

_Attack this beast without a care._

_Find the child, put her to my breast,_

_So that the future children may be at rest."_

Paisley watched with a grin on her face as elder bolts, energy balls, fire balls, water balls, and orb explosions blasted the demon simultaneously. The demon screamed in pain as the combined reaction of all the powers at once hit him, leaving a huge bloody hole in his body.

"Tell me where my daughter is. Then maybe I'll let Chris or Wyatt kill you quickly. Otherwise, you can die slowly and painfully. I'll be the 'powerless' witch watching my handiwork with a bowl of God damn popcorn."

"I don't.."

"TELL ME WHERE MY DAUGHTER IS!" She screamed in rage. She reached into the cage, and stuck her hand inside the demons' bloody wound, sending his body into spasms of pain.

"I don't know where she is. They take them away. I don't know where."

"Who takes them? The Trefidor demons?" She demanded angrily.

"Yes. They make…magical armies. Only use the most powerful babies." The demon gasped out.

Chris started to speak, and was cut off by Paisley's harsh demand. "How do you contact them if you don't know where they are?"

"The Seer. She tells me whose child they want. I arrange the…transaction."

"TRANSACTION! You STOLE my baby. You literally arranged for them to steal her from my body. I didn't even get to hold her! Tell me how to get her back. NOW!" she screamed, reaching for the demon again.

"NO! No, stop, please. I don't know how to get her back. I don't know. Please, heal me. I know you can. If you do, I'll arrange a meeting with them." The demon begged.

"No." Chris stated coldly. "You've done all you need to. Thanks for the information." He raised his hands and shot two sets of elder bolts directly into the demon, vanquishing him without another word.

"CHRIS! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO? He was going to help us! He was going to arrange for me to gether back!" Paisley hit Chris as she started to cry.

"Shh, shh, Pais, he wasn't going to help us. He just wanted to get free so that he could do it again. He'd already told us everything he was going to. It was enough." Chris gathered her into his arms, hugging her close.

"We still don't know where she is, Chris. They could be torturing her right now, maybe even killing her." Ryan stated his worst fear glumly.

"They won't kill her. They need her, and her powers to add to their army. She's going to be okay. Listen, I've got a plan. I think I know how to get her back. I'll be right back. I have to go to Magic School for a minute." Chris nodded and orbed away.

"Holy Cow, Pais. That, uh...that was some interrogation." Wyatt said, looping an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

"He pissed me off, Wy!" She defended.

"Hey, I thought that it was awesome, Pais, don't get me wrong. I just never knew you had it in you, that's all."

"Neither did I, but then again, no one has ever stolen my baby before either." She answered bitterly.

"It happens, Paisley. It happens to almost all magical moms. It's not something we like to advertise to you kids, but every one of you was kidnapped, lost or stolen from us at one point or another when you were babies. And we all kind of lose it until our baby is back safe in our arms." Paige smiled at her niece gently.

"We were all kidnapped? Every one of us?" Paisley asked, shocked.

Paige and her sisters shared a look of grim amusement. "Yeah, honey. All of you were taken from us one way or another at least once. Wyatt was taken a few times actually." Phoebe answered.

"See, Halliwells are highly prized magical beings. If a demon can turn a Halliwell baby evil, then that is a huge boost to the demonic world. But Paisley, even if your baby gets turned evil, we can change her back. We've done it a bunch of times. Wyatt was turned when he was 2, and Leo figured out how to change him back. Chris was evil for a few days when he was 6, and we finally hit him with a potion that changed him back too. You were evil for a few hours too, Pais. That time your cousins changed you back before we even knew about it. Patience and Patrick were turned evil at the same time by a Frenji demon who tried to take their souls after. But they turned themselves back when their souls rejected the black magic. Peyton was evil at 3 days old. She was stolen from the nursery at the hospital by a demon posing as a doctor. We needed the Power of Three to change her back. Actually, Phy was the only one who hadn't been evil until earlier. We always fix it, Paisley. We aren't about to let our perfect record be ruined with your baby." Piper hugged her and Wyatt together, not bothering to pull Paisley out of his arms.

"Phiona. Her name is Phiona. We have to stop calling her baby. Her name is Phiona Angelyn." Paisley insisted quietly.

"Fair Angel… I love it, sweetie." Ryan answered, recalling the meanings from the mountains of baby books they'd perused together searching for the perfect name.

They looked up as orbs sounded. Instead of Chris, as he had expected, Wyatt stared into the face of the demon of Chaos. Wyatt threw his hands up, blasting the demon. "How the hell is he still alive?" he yelled, watching in disbelief as orbs reformed from the bits of exploded demon.

"Because, bro. This is an extra special glamour. I'm going to go undercover, get the baby back, and shut down the Trefidor demon operation." The demon encased himself in gold lights, revealing Chris' smirking face.

"Chris! Damn you! I could have killed you!" Wyatt exploded.

"Nah. Your powers won't kill me. But still, they hurt like hell. Wanna watch the exploding on impact. I mean, I ORBED! Orbs mean good magic." Chris griped.

"Alright, alright. So what can I do? What's my part of the plan?" Wyatt waited expectantly.

"You don't have one. I'm going in alone, Wy. I'll call you if I need you, but don't worry. I have a plan B if this doesn't work." He pulled the glamour back on.

"What's plan B?" Wyatt had a feeling he wasn't going to like this very much.

"Self sacrifice. I'll remove the glamour, and get her back or die trying." Chris disappeared in a shower of orbs as the announcement rang through the air. Wyatt reached out to grab his brother's orb to stop him, but he was too late, and looked on helplessly as Chris set out to save the family. Again.


	20. Lets Make a Deal

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate the responses. Hopefully everyone is happy with the poll results; they were really close, though, so you may see a couple of the choices mixing together here, in an effort to make everyone happy.**

**I apologize that this update is a little late. Yesterday was a crazy day around here. I'm going to shoot for a double update today, but no guarantees. If it's not up today, it will be there Monday- I Promise!**

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"I need to see the Trefidor demons." Chris announced as he walked cockily into the Seer's cave.

The Seer gasped. "You… how is this possible? I watched in the pool as the Charmed Ones and their children vanquished you. I felt the power return to the pool."

"As I told that fool witch, I am more powerful than they are. Now, find me the Trefidor demons. I find that my encounter with the Halliwells has only whetted my appetite for Chaos." Chris sneered under his Demon of Chaos glamour.

The Seer looked closely into the eyes of the demon before her. Something wasn't quite right. He looked the same, but the power emanating from him had escalated. After being vanquished, or even wounded, he should have been operating at his lowest power voltage, not this super strength power.

"Are you deaf, Seer? I said, find the Trefidor demons!" Chris boomed out, his voice loud and harsh, ringing off the sides of her cave.

"Yes, yes, Chaos." The Seer hurriedly touched the pool, creating a ripple over the top of the water. When the water stilled, the Trefidor demons stood atop a cliff, watching as a ceremony took place. "They won't welcome your interruption. They are in the middle of morality ceremony."

"A morality ceremony?" Chris asked in the harshest tone he could muster. "What does that have to with me? Find them for me, as I am the one that gave them that child to start with."

"The ceremony must take place within 24 hours of having the babe in their possession. If not, the child's powers will constantly be torn between white and black magic. Eventually, the constant turmoil of morals vs. no morals will tear her apart, and destroy her." The Seer laughed. "Of course, they also want to ensure that she is evil quickly. The Halliwells are known for their ruthlessness when it comes to kidnapped children. The Trefidor's know that they will search for the babe. They need to ensure that the child's powers are purely evil when they get there, or their cause is for naught."

"I don't give a damn about their ceremony. Find them and bring them to me. Now!" Chris roared.

"They will not come." The Seer replied simply.

"They will come, or you will die." Chris responded, grabbing the Seer telekinetically by the throat.

The Seer nodded, and rubbed her throat as Chris dropped her. "I will find them for you then, Christopher Perry Halliwell." She stared directly into Chris' eyes as she stated the fact of his true identity.

"How dare…" Chris started to deny it.

The Seer held up a hand, palm up, effectively stopping Chris' words. "Please, do not insult my intelligence. I may be a demon, but I am not a stupid one. The Demon of Chaos had many powers. Telekinesis was not one of them. Besides, how many demons has your family wounded? Thousands, possibly millions? None of them have ever come back more powerful than when they left. You, however, have powers radiating off you that you have never had before. Plus, it is your destiny to save your family. Of course it is you."

She moved around the pool to face Chris. "My predecessor was weak. She tried to run from demons, and then get protection. I am not so stupid. I will help you, but only if you help me as well. I will tell you where you can find both the Trefidor demons and the baby. But I want you to orb me to the manor first. Then I will bargain with the Elders to gain my humanity."

Chris dropped his glamour. "You'll tell me now. After I have my cousin back, then I'll transport you to the manor."

"If you wait, I'll be dead. Demons don't work with witches and live to tell about it." Her face softened a bit. "I'm not heartless. How about a compromise we can both live with."

Chris crossed his arms across his chest and nodded. "I'm listening."

"I'll tell you where to find the Trefidor demons. Then you orb me to the manor. Then you come back down to get your cousin. Orbing me will only take a few seconds, leaving you plenty of time to get her back."

Chris sighed. "Okay. I guess I don't have much other choice. But let me make myself perfectly clear. If you do anything, anything at all to harm my family; I will take you out myself. You will wish that the demons had found you, because I won't let your death be an easy one."

The Seer matched his gaze steadily. "Understood. But for the record, if I wanted to destroy you or your family, I would simply call on my many demon consorts. They would cherish an opportunity to get a single Halliwell alone. Especially one as powerful as you."

Chris nodded again. "Then let's make a deal."

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"Wyatt, have you found him yet?" Piper asked her oldest son anxiously.

"Mom! I hadn't found him 5 minutes ago, or 3 minutes ago or 30 seconds ago; guess what? I still haven't found him!" Wyatt blew up angrily. "He must be blocking me. I can't find him if he's purposely putting up a block on his white lighter senses. No one can. This is pointless." He stood up abruptly, his tension visible in his face.

"Wy, it's okay. We'll find him and Phiona. We'll get them both back. Chris is smart, he'll be fine." Leo soothed, hiding his own uneasiness at not being able to sense his son.

"I know he's smart, Dad. But the problem is he's too smart. And he's not afraid of dying. Eventually that's going to catch up to him, you know." Wyatt worried. "He's even cut off the telepathy. I've been trying to talk to him since he orbed out, but he's either ignoring me or has that blocked as well."

"Would you stop whining Wy? We know where Chris went. He went to the Seer. Now, we can stand here and worry and wait or we can use these handy little potions that I just cooked up, and we can go torture every demon we see until someone tells us where to find the Seer or the Trefidor demons." Phyra walked in, holding a bag full of brightly colored potion bottles.

"No! Bad idea, Phy. Look what happened the last time we just barreled in with the plan to kill randomly. Chris and I got trapped by Nogard and Patrick died. No, let's try to scry for Chris, instead. Maybe his witch senses will be stronger right now than the white lighter, since he's actively blocking that part of himself."

Phyra sighed, and dropped the bag. "Wy, you gotta let this thing with Patrick go. We're always going to be demon hunting. It's a part of this whole witch, good vs. evil thing. And there are going to be a lot of times when we won't be as prepared as we'd like. But we still have to do it. If we don't, more innocents, not to mention more Halliwells will die. If you guys did anything wrong, it was only that you didn't let anyone else know what you were doing. But this time, we wouldn't do that. Uncle Leo would know, so would Mom and Aunt Piper and Aunt Phoebe. We'd have major fire power backing us up. Plus we could even tell Cole too. Then he could use his freaky demon powers to help us out if we needed it." Phyra's eyes shined in the dim light of the attic. She still remembered the incredible power she'd had with Cole's powers.

"Cole? Since when do you like Cole? I thought you hated him, just like your mom." Wyatt asked curiously.

"Yeah, well, he's not as bad as I thought. I mean, he did sacrifice his powers so I could escape the Vampire Queen. And he didn't get too mad when I wouldn't give them back. He could have blasted me with my own powers. They probably wouldn't have killed me, but it would've hurt like hell." She blushed a little. "Plus, I don't know, have you seen him with Aunt Phoebe? He makes her happy. Even with everything that's happened with Patrick and now Paisley and baby Phiona, he's still able to make her smile and laugh for a few seconds at a time at least. Uncle Les couldn't have done that." She shrugged.

Wyatt stood still, shocked. "Geez, how old are you anyway, Phy? You're 12, but you sound like an old lady. I mean, how philosophical can a 12 year old be?"

Phyra slapped him on the arm. "I'm 13 you big butthead! Remember my birthday last month? Jerk." She muttered under her breath.

Leo laughed at their exchange. "Actually, Wy, to be honest, Phyra has a special gift. She is one of the main reasons why your Aunt Prue couldn't be saved by the elders. Phyra had to be born to Paige while Paige was a Charmed One. Unfortunately, that couldn't happen as long as Prue was still a Charmed One. Basically, Phyra's destiny is to be a sage for the Halliwells. She has knowledge beyond her years. Very soon, she'll be coming into a great power, one unlike any other in this family. The telepathy she developed with you and Chris is a part of it. I can't speak much of it yet, because there are some things that you aren't meant to know until it is time, but trust me, Phyra has a huge destiny."

"Oh come on, Uncle Leo! You can't tease me like that and then just leave me hanging! That's not fair. C'mon… am I gonna have, like x-ray vision or self-healing powers or something? Oh! I know, am I gonna be able to fly? I've always wanted to fly. I mean, orbing is cool, but all the stereotypes say witches can fly. Is that it?" Phyra was hopping in place, begging to know her destiny.

"Phy! Chill. Dad already said he can't tell you yet. You'll know soon. Let's focus instead on Chris, okay?" Wyatt said with a bark of laughter at her antics.

Phyra sighed. "Okay. Let's do it." She started to walk towards the scrying maps, but was interrupted by the sound of incoming orbs.

"PHY!" Chris yelled as his orbs touched down. "PHY!"

"What? I'm right here, quit yelling!" Phyra responded dryly.

"Oh, okay. Listen, I need you to cook up some potions. I know where the Trefidor demons are. But I need to go in by myself. So I need to get some vanquishing potions ready." He whispered in her ear, and she nodded.

"I'm way ahead of you already." Phyra added picking up the potion bag from the floor. "I'll go make the other one."

Chris smiled. "Thanks, kiddo. Appreciate your help. Where's Wy?"

"Right here. Why are you blocking me?" Wyatt demanded from behind him.

"I just didn't want you to be hurt that's all Wy. I knew if you could find me, you'd orb to me. Listen, I need a favor though."

"What do you need?"

"A bodyguard and some back up. Listen, I have to go the Trefidor demons and soon. We don't have a lot of time. The demons have to turn her before the end of the day, or she'll be destroyed by her own natural morality in their presence."

"Okay, I'm with you. What's the plan?" Wyatt said eagerly.

"Well, for starters once we get down there, I'm going to make it look like I'm offering my own powers to them in exchange for Phiona. I'm going to drink a potion that creates a halo effect. That's the one Phy's making now. It's not actually doing anything with my powers, just making it look like I gave them up. I'll still have all of them though. Then I'll get the baby. Once I have her, you'll come out of hiding, and we'll vanquish every single one of the bastards."

Wyatt nodded, impressed. "Good plan. Really good plan. But you said something about a bodyguard. Where does that come in?"

Chris winced visibly. "That's going to be a job for the Charmed Ones, and for Patience. I made a deal." He waved his hand, and the Seer appeared from the shadows.

Wyatt's hands flew up, ready to blast her, but Chris stopped him by stepping in front of him. "No, Wy. I made a deal with her that if she told me where to find the Trefidor's we'd protect her until we had them, and then we'd take her to the Elders so that she could become human."

"Are you crazy? Look at what happened to the last Seer that wanted to make a deal." Wyatt demanded.

"I know, but I gave her my word. Will you help me convince them?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course. Damn, I hope this doesn't go wrong."

"Come on" Chris motioned the Seer between him and Wyatt. "We'll introduce you to the Charmed Ones."


	21. The Cloud

**A/N: A reviewer asked for an updated list of characters and their ages w/ powers, etc. So here it is- updated as of this story.**

**Chris Perry Halliwell**- Piper's Youngest Son (21)

Powers- Telekenesis, Orbing, Sensing, Healing, Electric Elder Bolts, Empathy, Freezing, Telepathic Connection (with family & charges only), Reflection (using someone else's powers)

**Wyatt Matthew Halliwell**- Piper's Oldest Son (23)

Powers- Telekenesis, Orbing, Sensing, Healing, Freezing, Energy Balls, Levitation, Astral Projection, Telepathic Connection (with family & charges only), Protective Shield

**Paisley Maria Halliwell- **Phoebe's Oldest Daughter (18)

Powers- Premonitions, Levitation, Premonition Projection

**Patrick James Halliwell- **Phoebe's Son (Middle Child) (16) **_deceased soon to be white lighter for Phiona._**

Powers- Molecular Acceleration (blowing up), Super-speed

**Patience Lilia Halliwell- **Phoebe's Youngest Daughter (15)

Powers- Empathy, Telepathy, Protective Shield

**Peyton Rebeccah Matthews-Halliwell-** Paige's Oldest Daughter (16)

Powers- Orbing, Orb-Telekinesis, Sensing, Water Control

**Phrya Rose Matthews-Halliwell- **Paige's Youngest Daughter (13)

Powers- Orbing, Sensing, Healing, Fire-starter. Telepathy (w/ Chris & Wyatt)

**Leslie St. Claire-** Phoebe's ex-husband, father of Paisley, Patrick & Patience.

**Jax Masterson-** Paige's husband & father of Peyton & Phyra

Powers- Elemental- able to control wind, water & fire.

**Abigail (Abby) Lennox- **Wyatt's Fiance (22)

Powers- Invisibility

**Maya Jefferson- **Chris' Fiance (20)

¼ demon, ¾ white lighter

Powers- shimmering, energy balls, sensing, healing, fire-thrower

**Ryan Keller- **Paisley's Boyfriend (18)

Powers- shape shifting

**Phiona Angelyn Halliwell- **(newborn) Paisley & Patrick's daughter. Phoebe's granddaughter.

Powers- Molecular acceleration (blowing up)

Piper & Leo are together- Leo's still an elder. Piper's powers are the same.

Phoebe has gotten back all her powers. She is back with Cole, who has all of his demonic powers, although he doesn't use them for evil any longer.

Paige has her regular powers, plus she has gained the power of Orb-explosions. (Basically, she sends orbs from her hand, and they explode whatever they touch.)

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"No, no, no. HELL NO, CHRIS!" Piper raged at her son, staring at the Seer.

"Mom, if you'd just let me explain…" Chris started.

"Oh, zip it! I don't want to hear it, Chris. Let me guess, she gave you information in return for protection, right?"

Chris stayed stubbornly silent.

"Oh, Chris." Piper sighed, seeing the set resolution on her baby's face. "Look, the last time we did this, it didn't turn out so great, ya know?"

"Mom, I gave her my word. She told me where to find the Trefidor demons. All I have to do now is go in, get Phiona, toss some potions, and get back here. But it has to be done soon. Look, all you guys have to do is protect her until I get back. Then I'll bring her up to the Elders myself. Please, mom, do this for me, okay?"

"Oh, fine. But you better hurry mister. You know I get itchy blasting fingers when demons are in the manor." Piper warned with a twitch of both pinkie fingers.

Chris smiled, and leaned into kiss her warmly on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom. I knew I could count on you."

_Yo, Chris. Potion's ready!_ Phyra's voice echoed through his head telepathically.

"I gotta run, Mom. Wyatt's coming with me this time for backup. Don't worry. We'll be back soon."

"You should know better than tell me that, Chris. I always worry. It's hardwired into my DNA. You two be careful." Piper warned, with a look at Wyatt.

"What? Why are you looking at me? Chris is the one that always gets hurt!" Wyatt protested.

"Yeah, I know. Normally, because of a spell of yours gone wrong, or someone TK's an energy ball the wrong way, or you're standing in front of him, and you duck before he can, or…"

Alright, alright! Jeez, I'm sorry. I'm working on it, okay?" Wyatt grumbled. He knew she was teasing him, but the part that really stung was that it was completely true.

"Its okay, Mom. I'll take care of Wy." Chris teased. Wyatt raised an eyebrow at him, and snapped his fingers, causing Chris' feet to twist as he started to walk, tripping him. Chris turned around incredulously, and held a hand out, palm first, making Wyatt feel like he'd walked into a brick wall.

"Enough, _boys!_" Piper stressed the word. She knew that they were only playing, but still it sent shivers down her spine to see them using their powers against each other. It never failed to remind her that in another life, they were bitter enemies bound only by their blood, using their powers against each other for real.

"You worry too much, Mom. Relax, we'll be fine. As Aunt Paige likes to say, we're Charmed." Wyatt grinned at her, using the family joke.

"You're gonna be toast if you don't get out of here soon." Piper answered dryly. "Go find Phiona, so we can all ooh and ahh properly." She smiled after them as they nodded and orbed out to the kitchen. She turned to the Seer. "And as for you. Sit there, shut up, and don't draw attention to yourself, or I swear I'll blow you up myself."

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"Took you long enough." Phyra taunted sarcastically.

"Yeah, all of sixty seconds. So, you have the potion ready, right?" Chris answered, pulling her ponytail lightly.

"Cut it out." She shook her head, out of his grasp. "Anyway, yes the potion is ready for you. You're gonna have to be careful though. The potion only lasts for about 45 seconds. It's the best I could do on short notice." She bit her lip. "Can I go with you guys? Please? I mean, I just have a bad feeling about having you guys go alone."

"No."

"Absolutely not." Chris & Wyatt spoke together, echoing each other's sentiments.

"Oh come on, please? I'm thirteen years old! I can handle demon vanquishes, I promise! You let me help with Nogard." Phyra begged.

"Yeah, and look how that turned out, Phy. No, you're not coming. I don't want to risk you getting hurt, or kidnapped yourself. You were a little scary with evil powers, Phy. I'm not taking the chance that they'll be able to turn you too." Chris softened the harsh no with an explanation.

"But I'm powerful. You've said so yourselves. Come on, Wy. You heard Uncle Leo. I'm destined to help you guys. I can do this, I know I can."

Chris looked at Wyatt curiously. "What's this destiny? Did I miss something?"

"Dad said the elders had seen her destiny before Aunt Prue died. That's why they made it so that Aunt Paige could come into her Charmed powers. Because I guess Phy is destined to be our sage. You know, great source of knowledge for the Halliwells, and you and I in particular. He mentioned something about her coming into a great power unlike any before. I guess her telepathy is a part of it."

"So that means I can help! Please?" she bit her lip anxiously.

"Phy, it would just be better for you to stay here, okay? Listen, we'll keep contact with you at all times telepathically. If we need help, you can orb to us then, okay?"

Phyra started to pout, but nodded. "Okay." She responded petulantly.

Wyatt pulled her into a quick hug. "Don't worry so much, kid. You'll have plenty of chances to go demon hunting. I promise, we'll take you soon. First, we have to work on that telepathy power of yours."

Chris grabbed the potion bottle and looked at Wyatt. Together they orbed away.

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They landed behind a large rock formation in the Underworld. They could hear the sounds of chanting, and see shadows being cast on the walls of the dark cave by torches built into the walls.

Chris looked at Wyatt._ Good Luck, Bro._ Wyatt told him telepathically.

_Thanks, but hopefully, I won't need it. Remember, as soon as I have the baby, you start throwing potions, okay?_

_Got it, Chris. No worries._

_Yeah, right. No worries._ Chris orbed into the middle of the Trefidor demon's ceremonial circle.

"_For those of you who don't recognize me, my name is Christopher Halliwell. You kidnapped my cousin earlier today. I want her back. I know you only did it to gain her powers. I'm here to offer you a deal."_ Chris sent his thoughts telepathically to Phyra and Wyatt as he said them aloud. He held off the demons fire balls with a deft flick of his wrist.

"_I'm only here for the baby. She is all I want. If you give her to me, I'll leave and never come back. I just want the baby." _Chris stopped on purpose, giving the impression that he was struggling with his decision. _"I can kill some of you. But sooner or later, you'll get lucky. I'm not saying I'll give up without a fight. But I don't have the firepower that Wyatt does. I can't just take you all out with one big boom. So instead, I've decided that I want to make you a deal instead."_

"_It's fairly common knowledge in the magical community that my mom, Piper is the one Charmed One who truly longs for a normal life. That longing is present inside me as well. I'm sick of being Chris Halliwell, the Thrice-Blessed. I'm engaged. I want to be a husband, and a father. I can't do that with magic still inside of me. Here's my deal. You give me the baby- with all of her white magic intact. In return, I'll give you my powers. Your collective will grow to nearly unbeatable status once you have my powers. However- taking my powers comes with a small cost. You can never kill the Charmed Ones. My powers will not work on them. However, since you have my powers, the cost goes both ways. Neither can they kill you. You will live on forever as the rulers of the Underworld with no interruption from the Halliwells- ever again." _He paused deliberately again. _"Or you can try to keep the baby and turn her evil. I'll fight you to the death. Then Wyatt, the Charmed Ones, and all of our cousins will come and fight you. You won't survive all of us. I guarantee it. Do we have a deal?"_

A black demon stepped forward. It was the same demon who had grabbed the baby in Wyatt's premonition. "You will give up your powers to our collective, just for one baby? What's the catch? Why should I believe that this isn't a trap?"

"_Halliwell family motto. Family comes first. I already lost one cousin to evil this week. I'm not losing another. I'll do whatever is takes to make that happen. Even if I have to bargain with evil and lose my powers. I'll be protecting my family. There is no power in the world stronger than that of family. I'm giving up my powers, but I'm saving my family from you forever. It's a good deal."_

The demon stared at Chris. He seemed sincere, but still with the Halliwell's you never quite knew. He smiled slowly. "I'll tell you what. If you will give up your powers first, we will then give you the baby."

"_No. I see the baby first. I have no proof yet that she isn't already evil. If she is, you have to change her back first."_

The demon seethed inwardly. He knew the baby wasn't evil yet. They'd been trying for over an hour to complete the ceremony, but for some reason, the child's magic was too strong for their collective. The baby refused to be turned evil. "Very well. But as soon as you see for yourself that the baby is unharmed and still possesses white magic, you will immediately call forth your powers and give them to me. Once I have them here, in the athame, then you can take the child and leave."

Chris nodded. _"That's fine. Get her now."_

The demon snapped his fingers and two demons shimmered in with Phiona in their arms. She waved her hands and cooed at Chris, seeing his bright red shirt. _"How does this prove she's not evil?" _Chris demanded.

The head demon motioned to one of his men. When none moved, he moved one with a flick of his hand in front of the baby, and then threw an athame at the demons holding the baby. Instantly, Phiona's hand flew up and blew up both the athame and the demon in front of her.

The demon looked at Chris and asked dryly, "need anymore proof?"

Chris smiled, grinning at the sight of a hours old baby already having her first vanquish. His smile dimmed as the demon looked expectantly at him. He clutched the potion bottle and drank it quickly. A large blue cloud hovered around him in a haze.

The demon held up his athame and stuck it into the cloud, sucking it into the athame. He grinned. "Nice doing business with you."

Chris grabbed the baby. _"Yeah, me too."_ He held the baby close with one hand, and swung an arm outward, telekinetically knocking the demons down with the other as Wyatt came out of hiding.

"What? How did you do that? I have your powers." The demon sputtered angrily.

"_All you have is a cloud created by a potion. Did you really think you were going to be able to get away with stealing a Halliwell?" _Wyatt growled as he tossed two potion bottles. Both Wyatt and Chris turned quickly as they heard the sound of an explosion behind them. Phiona gave them a gummy grin as she kicked her feet and two more demons exploded. Chris laughed aloud this time. This was totally his kind of baby!

_Let's end this quick, ok? Get this little beauty back to her mom. _Chris offered the thought to Wyatt. With a grin, Wyatt tossed the bag of potions into the air, and together Wyatt and Chris TK'd them into the demons, sending them up in a wall of fire.

Wyatt looked around the cave. _"Not bad, bro. Not bad."_

"_Eww…that's nasty!"_ Chris yelled out disgustedly.

Wyatt whirled around expecting to see a nasty looking demon all pissed off, but all he could see was Chris holding Phiona. "_What! What's nasty?"_

"_Ugh… Look at this!"_ Chris lifted the baby off his chest to reveal a large wet stain on his shirt. _"She just peed all over me!"_

Wyatt's laughter rang out even over the sound of their orbs.


	22. Presenting Phiona

**A/N: Again, big thank you's to everyone who reviewed. I tried to answer everyone, hopefully I didn't miss any. I also want to apologize for the spotty updates lately. Life has been total craziness, and I promise, I will try to get back to my normal schedule of updating every week day.**

**This chapter is mostly filler, I apologize for that, but the story is winding down, and I needed a chapter to connect the last one and the next one. Probably only 2 chapters left!**

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Phyra ran into Chris' room, knowing instinctively that's where he was orbing. She watched in fascination as blue and silver lights showered down and Chris and Wyatt appeared, with Chris holding a naked newborn against his chest.

"You did it!" she squealed happily as soon as the orbs cleared. "PAISLEY!" she screamed as loud as she could through the doorway. Phiona blinked and started to wail at the unexpected loud noise.

"Phyra!" Chris hissed, rocking Phiona gently to calm her. "Don't yell around her. She's a tough cookie, but she's had a hard day!"

"Oops. Sorry! Can I hold her?" Phyra asked anxiously. "I mean, you have to change anyway, right?"

Chris scowled. Somehow the baby felt right in his arms, even with the smell of urine and the feel of the cold, wet cotton molding to his chest. He looked at Phyra's excited face and nodded. "Make sure you hold her head."

"Duh, Chris. I'm thirteen, I have held babies before." Chris settled Phiona in her arms gently, and Phyra started cooing in baby talk to her. Chris shook his head, and glanced at Wyatt. They shared a smile of amusement. There was nothing quite as comical as watching a woman hold someone else's baby for the first time. It was as if all babies were magical and somehow cast a spell on women to instantly think they were the most adorable, lovable creature on earth.

Chris walked to his closet as he grabbed another shirt, peeling off the wet one. He grimaced as the odor still clung to his skin. He started to walk to the bathroom and then thought better of it. Personal gain, be damned. In the past couple of days he'd gotten rid of enough evil he deserved to use a little magic for himself. He orbed into the bathroom with a grin. His grin dissolved instantly as he heard the shower running, and the sounds of sobs coming from behind the frosted glass door.

"Paisley?" he asked softly, barely audible over the sound of the running water.

"Chris? What the hell are you doing in here? Did you orb here again, I swear this time I'm telling Aunt Piper! Why aren't you finding her, Chris? Where is she?" her voice rose from sobbing to screaming.

"Honey, honey, relax. We got her. Phy tried to tell you, but you must not have heard her over the shower. We have her. She's in my room. Phiona's okay, Pais. She's perfect." Chris spoke again over the shower, careful to keep his back to the shower. The last thing he wanted to see was his cousin naked. He'd rather face thirty to one demon odds than see that.

"What! Oh my God!" The water shut off abruptly. The door started to slide open, but Chris grabbed it quickly.

"Hang on. Just let me get out of here first, okay? No need to scar Chris for life." He half-joked as he orbed away as fast as he'd appeared back to his room. "Yo! Prepare for take-over guys. I just ran into Paisley. She should be appearing any second." He announced as his orbs dissolved. He stared at the scene in front of him. Phyra was gone, and Wyatt was standing over Phiona, blowing bubbles on her belly as he wrapped one of Chris' clean t-shirts around her bottom in a make-shift diaper.

Wyatt looked up at him, a bit embarrassed to be caught playing with the baby so obviously. "Hey Chris. Hope you don't mind, but we borrowed a shirt. She peed again on Phy, so I decided to use a little creative damage control."

Chris snorted. "Well, I hope Paisley has diapers around here somewhere. I'm running out of clothes!"

"Where is sh…Phiona!" Paisley breathed as she ran into Chris' room. She was wearing her bathrobe, bunny slippers and had a towel wrapped around her hair. "Oh, my baby. My beautiful little angel." She rushed over to pick her up, holding her close to her heart as she rocked her and hugged her close. She breathed in the scent of her baby, and smoothed a hand over her fuzz covered head. She kissed the top of her head, and went back to rocking her. She cleared her throat huskily, and whispered. "My angel, you'll be safe forever. I promise, this will never happen again. Those nasty old demons won't ever touch you again." She looked up at Wyatt, with misty eyes. "Can you go find Ryan? I want him to see his baby girl." Wyatt nodded, closed his eyes for a second, sensing for Ryan, and orbed away. He was back in just a few seconds with Ryan in tow.

"Oh, My God! Pai… is that? Did they? Is she?" Ryan couldn't finish a sentence as he stared at Paisley holding a tiny baby to her chest.

"Ry, this is your daughter, Phiona Angelyn Halliwell." Paisley's eyes were full of unshed tears as she walked over to her boyfriend and laid their daughter in his arms.

"She…She's beautiful, Pai. Absolutely perfect." Ryan stared down into the face of his daughter, and was stunned by how much he could already tell about her. She was as pretty as her mom and grandma, and as smart as anything. Most of all, he knew that she already had him wrapped tight around her tiny little finger.

Paisley watched them for a second and was distracted by the sound of footsteps. Chris and Wyatt were both leaving. "Wait!" she cried out. "Wait."

"We weren't going far. We just thought we'd give you guys a little privacy before the Halliwell circus starts." Wyatt explained gently.

"No, that's okay. I mean, I understand. But listen. Thank you. You'll never know…just, thank you for getting her back for me. Both of you, I'll never forget this, I swear."

Chris opened his arms, and folded her into a hug. "It's nothing. You're family, and so is Phiona. Family comes first, you know that. We'd never let anything happen to your baby. Its part of our legacy, you know. We're the most powerful of all the kids, it automatically makes us the protectors."

Wyatt tapped her on the head lightly, bringing her face in line with his. "Furthermore, we'd never want to be anything but. Seriously, I mean, what's the point of having powers and protecting innocents when you can't protect the ones you love? Phiona is every bit as much ours as she is yours. Just like you, Patience, Pey & Phy are way more than just our cousins. We all know that. We always have, right? The four of you ground the two of us, and keep us human. We super charge you guys. It's all a give and take. Let's just say I love you, and keep it at that, okay?"

Paisley gave him a grin. "I love and let's keep it at that." She ignored his groan at her corniness and hugged him tightly too. "Seriously though. I mean it. Thank you."

Ryan finally spoke. "Yeah, me too. Thanks. You could have killed me when Paisley made her announcement, but instead you accepted me as a part of her. Then you put your lives and your futures on the line to save our daughter. Thank you isn't enough, but it's all we have to say."

Chris shook his head fondly. "Thank you is enough. And just so you know, the only reason we didn't kill you, was that stress is hard on a pregnancy. But trust me, if you ever make her cry or do either of them wrong, well, you better weld that baby to your body permanently, because that's the only thing that will save you." Wyatt nodded in total agreement. "Now, we're going to get out of here. I figure we can probably hold off the circus for about ten minutes. I suggest you guys use them wisely." Chris grinned and he and Wyatt walked out, shutting the door quietly behind them.

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"Chris! Wyatt! You're back!"

"What happened?"

"Where's Phiona?"

"Did you vanquish the Trefidor?"

"Where's your shirt?"

"How much longer before you bring this damned Seer to the Elder's, Chris? She is getting on my last nerve!"

Chris and Wyatt stood in shock at the verbal assault of questions that hit them as they walked into the kitchen. Piper's last question rang out the loudest.

"Okay, everyone relax. Phiona is safe and home. She's upstairs with Paisley and Ryan. Freeze, Aunt Phoebe. We promised them about 10 minutes alone first. Just wait, and give them time together, okay?" Wyatt halted his aunt quickly as she started to run out of the kitchen.

"The Trefidor's are history. We got them all. They got greedy and took the bait I offered." Chris explained smugly.

"What about the almighty demon over here? I'm sick of her whining, Chris! Either get her out of here, or I swear, I'm blowing her up!" Piper snapped. She was happy the baby was back, but her biggest problem was the whiny Seer snottily demanding that she needed Dijon mustard on her sandwich, not yellow, Maple cured ham instead of boiled and multi grain bread instead of wheat. Who knew demons were so damn picky.

"No, mom. Don't. I'll bring her back as soon as I can get a shirt on. The baby peed on me after the demon fight. Stop laughing!" Chris ordered, seeing his parents and Aunts all fight to keep from bursting out in laughter.

"Why didn't you just grab a shirt on your way out of your room?" Leo asked, barely managing to stifle his laughter.

"Because Wyatt used my last clean shirt I've got here as a diaper for the baby." Chris responded sullenly. At this, they couldn't hold back anymore, and broke out in laughter.

"Okay, then you're excused from Seer sitting. Wyatt, bring her to the Elders." Piper ordered.

"But Mom," he started to protest.

"NOW, MISTER!" she roared.

Wyatt grumbled a little, but did as ordered.

Piper turned to Chris then. "You look tired, hon. I think you should rest for a little while. You've had a hard week, you know. Besides, you want to be well-rested for the wedding, right?"

Chris stifled a yawn as he lied through his teeth. "Nah, I'm good, Mom. I'm gonna orb home and get some clean clothes. Then I'll bring Maya and Abby over here so they can see the baby too."

Piper nodded, believing him automatically. "All right, peanut. Listen, don't forget about the rehearsal later. We all have to be at Yummies by 7:00. And Chris," she added when he'd started to orb. "Try not to let your good clothes get ruined by anything this time."

"Geez, Mom, it was one time. It's not my fault that demons can tell when we're having a special occasion! I still say they attacked me and ruined my suit that time." Chris grinned at the memory.

He had been eight years old, and his Aunt Paige and Uncle Jax were getting married. Before their rehearsal dinner, Piper had dressed both he and Wyatt in fancy gray suits with crisp white shirts and ties. They both had hated them on sight. In retaliation for the suits, they had purposely summoned a demon to get their clothes dirty, so they could go in jeans. When they ran in to Piper to tell her about the demon attack, the whole plan backfired, as she made them wear their tuxes instead. It seemed that Leo had been watching the entire thing from 'Up There' and watched them carry out their well executed plan.

"Right, sure, I believe you." Piper said with an answering grin of her own.

Chris flashed another quick grin at her, and orbed away.

As quickly as his orbs cleared another set appeared. Piper grinned. Chris was always forgetting something then orbing back in two seconds later. "What did you forget this time, Chris?" she called over her shoulder.

"Uh, Piper, that's not Chris." Paige whispered.


	23. Heaven

**A/N: Beware! This chapter has a BIG twist in it that no one guessed- not even you Altaira! (She's been guessing all my plots early LOL) **

**Probably just one more chapter after this one. Everyone brace themselves and keep the tissues close…Chris' wedding is the next chapter!**

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Phoebe turned, and breathed in sharply. "Oh, my God" she choked out hoarsely.

Piper whirled, concerned about her younger sister. "Phoebe, are you…o…kay." She finished haltingly as she stared in shock at the newcomer.

Leo was the first to break free from the trance they all seemed to be under. He rushed over, hugging the petite woman closely in his arms. "I can't believe this. After all these years…" his voice trailed off and he just stood, holding her close, cherishing the closeness that had been missing for over 20 years.

Wyatt orbed back in, annoyance seeping from his body in visible waves. "Ma, the next time my brother makes a deal with a demon, you make sure he takes care of his own dirty work. Little Miss I See Everything just told me that our family is about to receive a boon from the elders. Whatever the hell that means." He waved his arm disgustedly. When no one answered him, he looked hard at his mother and aunts' faces. "Mom? Are you guys okay? What's going on?"

Patience came running down the stairs. "Holy crap! Something big is happening! I can feel the emotions…there's fear, hope, love, pride, envy, loss, betrayal- all concentrated in this one room. Is there a demon? Did Barbas come back after all?" Her empathy powers were jumpy and picking up every emotion there was.

Chris' orbs followed the announcement. "What's wrong? I can tell…there's a tenseness in the air. I could feel it all the way at our house." Chris stared at his father, still hugging the woman. "Dad? What are you doing?" he asked in a slightly accusatory tone.

"Oh, Chris. It's not what you think." Leo replied, wiping his eyes free of the tears that had filled them as he stepped away from the woman.

"Holy Shit! Aunt Prue!" Chris exclaimed, more shocked than he'd ever been before.

Prue flashed him her trademark grin. "What's the matter, Chris? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Aunt Prue! Wow…Mom's told us so much about you! What took you so long to come here?" Patience exclaimed next, reaching out to hug her long lost aunt.

"Well, the Elders didn't think you guys were ready yet. Finally, I convinced them. They are terribly stubborn, you know. Over twenty years of harassing before they allow me to be with my family again! Ridiculous. But I was able to convince them that Patrick needed a guiding influence. So I'm sort of his advisor, you might say." Prue explained, returning Patience's hug easily.

"So, Patrick is coming back soon?" Patience asked hesitantly.

Prue smiled. "He's already upstairs with your sister and new niece. He'll be down in a few minutes."

Phoebe started to sob. She turned to Cole, and smothered the gasping sobs into his shoulder. He held her close as he kept a close watch on Prue. He knew they didn't care for each other, and wanted to be sure that Prue didn't try to kill him again, after everything he'd been through.

"Phoebe, honey. It's okay. I'm here now. Patrick is here too. Your whole family is back together. I'm here now." Prue soothed, as she walked over to her sister and smoothed down her shoulder length brown hair.

"Great. You're here now. So where were you then? Huh, Prue? You couldn't even get us a message to tell us that you were still with us in spirit? You just abandoned us." Piper burst out angrily, unable to hold it in.

"Piper, I _died_. It's not like I went on vacation! I already told you. The Elders wouldn't let me contact you. They even kept me a secret from Leo, and he was one of them! They said that if I came to you before you were ready, then I would be the catalyst for the breaking apart of the Power of Three, and more importantly the entire Halliwell family. If I'd come too early, Wyatt & Chris wouldn't have been born. Paige wouldn't have found her way to you. All of your children would be different, with different powers and different attitudes. Not to mention, Piper, you wouldn't have Leo. They came out and directly told me that if I went behind their backs, and saw you all before I had permission, that they would recycle Leo's soul. I saw what you went through when they took him from you before your…rutabaga."

Piper cracked a smile at the use of the word she'd substituted for wedding when the elders had demanded Piper and Leo stop seeing each other and had them under close monitoring. "So, why did they change their minds? If it was just teaching Patrick, then there are four other seasoned white lighters in this family that could have taught him. Why else did they allow it now?"

Prue grinned. "Well, Piper, honestly I think Leo scared them. When he quit being an Elder because one of them made a snotty comment about Chris and Wyatt, they were forced to take a look at themselves in a harsh light. They decided that they have been far too strict as far as not giving the Halliwells any special favors. The facts are that this family has done more good in the past 28 years than any other in history has ever done. Through it all, for the most part, everyone has obeyed the rules the Elders handed down, no matter the cost to us all personally. The only rule that has ever been broken for good was the witch-white lighter rule about falling in love. But when they lay it all out, side by side, the hardships that magic has forced far outweigh the benefits. Phoebe has lost the love of her life to magic 6 times- 3 with Cole, once with Jason, once with Dex and most recently with Les. She's also lost a child to magic when Patrick died. Piper, you lost Leo three times before finally getting him back forever. You and Leo had future Chris die due to an Elder's duplicity. I lost Andy, and then died myself. But out of all of us, Paige suffered the most. She lost her parents due to magic- twice. Once because of the rule against witch-white lighter relations, and again when her adoptive parents died, and she orbed away to save herself. She lost Glen and Richard, and was suddenly thrust into a world where she had no way to prepare for. And those aren't counting the sacrifices that any of your children have made. Good God, Chris risked everything to save Wyatt from being evil! He even lost his fiancée because of it, not to mention every single thing about his old life that was familiar. He gave up everything." Prue broke off, her throat filling with regret. "The Elders finally realized when Leo quit that they need the Halliwells. They finally saw all the things that this family has given up for the greater good. So they called me, and Laura finally said it was time. I'm not allowed to be here all the time, because of my charges, but I can come whenever you need me."

Phoebe finally broke away from Cole, and hugged her big sister. Piper hurried over and joined in, hugging both her sisters. It suddenly felt as though the years of absence had been mere hours, as the hole inside her was finally refilled.

Chris watched with a smile on his face as he watched his mother's face lighten and brighten with happiness. The smile dimmed as he turned to his Aunt Paige, and saw the deep sadness. "Aunt Paige…there's still room for you." He whispered softly to her. "They're _all_ your sisters you know. Nothing changes that."

Phoebe suddenly broke away from Prue and Piper. "Paige! Get over here. Meet your big sister!"

Paige shyly made her way over to the group, still hanging back. Prue looked into her worried gaze, and quickly grabbed her into a hug. "Nice to meet you, sis."

Paige laughed. "Nice you meet you too, finally. I've heard a lot about you."

"Don't believe any of it." Prue said in a stage whisper. "They're just trying to discredit their big sister."

Paige laughed again. "And here I thought they only did that to the baby sister."

The four women managed to huddle into another hug. Leo looked on fondly, standing between Chris and Wyatt. "Looks like it's the Power of Four, now."

Orbs touched down on the middle of the coffee table, breaking it in half. "OW!" Patrick's voice rang through the crowded living room. "Oh, crap. Sorry, Aunt Piper!" he yelled out quickly, knowing how Piper hated it when things were broken by a lazy teenager's orbs.

Chris ran over to him, wrapped him in a huge hug, and whispered in his ear. "Chris, no, I can't do that! That's personal gain!" Patrick protested.

Chris leaned back and stared at Patrick as if he was a different person. "'Scuse me? You of all people are talking about personal gain spells? Wasn't it you that tried to cast a true love spell a few weeks back so that you would have a date to the formal?"

"Yeah, well, I'm reformed." Patrick replied calmly.

"Uh huh." Chris wasn't convinced.

Patrick smiled and whispered the spell Chris had given him quickly.

"_Let the object of objection become but a dream, cause the scene be unseen."_

He watched fascinated as the broken table mended itself again. "Awesome." He breathed quietly. "Ahh!" he gasped as Phoebe grabbed him in a hug, squeezing as tight as she could.

"Oh, baby. You're back, oh, god, oh god. I thought I'd never see you again." She hugged him again, burying her face on his shoulder, holding on tightly.

"Mom! Mom, relax. Let go, Mom! You're choking me!" he gasped, protesting her tight grip.

"You should be choked. What's the big idea of you playing Superhero and getting yourself killed! That wasn't the plan Patrick!" Suddenly, Phoebe was scolding him and had an almost irrepressible urge to spank him. Too bad she'd never done it before, and had no intention of starting.

"Mom, I'm sorry, okay? But, this way is even better, don't you see? I got to save Wyatt and Chris, Mom. Do you have any idea how cool that is? I saved them. They were trapped, but I saved them! Me, the one who didn't ever have enough control over his powers to use them right. I saved them. They didn't die because of me." Patrick grinned proudly. "Besides, as a white lighter, I can orb! And Aunt Prue said she'd show me how to heal once I get my orb landings down. Plus, mom, the coolest part is I get to protect Phiona forever. How many white lighters get to protect family?"

Phoebe relaxed, and smiled at her son's happiness. It seemed that being dead wasn't as bad as she'd originally thought. Her son might be back in a different form with additional powers, but he was also happier, and more confident. Plus, this time she knew that Wyatt and Chris would do everything possible to make him feel normal. Deep down, she knew they still felt horrible over his death, so they would do anything to keep his new life intact and happy.

"Only the very lucky." Wyatt answered Patrick's question. "Look, Pat, I just…I'm sorry, pal. I wish we could do it over again. But either way, I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad to be back. Hey, am I in time for the dinner at Yummies? I want lasagna." Patrick asked anxiously, rubbing his stomach.

Piper answered. "Yeah, you're in time, Patrick. Perfect timing actually."


	24. Or Hell?

**A/N: Yay! I fooled you! Yippee! Seriously though, I'm glad everyone liked my Prue twist. However, don't expect her in all of my stories. I like to focus more on Chris & Wyatt, so Prue probably won't appear very often. But then again… you never know. **

**Sorry for the delay. This was supposed to be up Friday, but I was having server issues.**

**This is my last chapter of A Fine Line Between Heaven & Hell. Please keep watch in the next few days for the start of my next story in my series- "Not This Time (And Never Again)." Thanks for everyone's kind reviews and thoughts. You guys are the best!**

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"Chris, stop fidgeting or I'm never going to be able to do this!" Wyatt yelled at his younger brother.

"Sorry. It's just…this is so stupid, Wy. I mean, why am I nervous? I know I love her. I wouldn't have asked her to marry me if I didn't." Chris fidgeted again, making Wyatt lose his grip on the bowtie he was trying to tie for Chris.

Wyatt sighed and dropped the tie, pushing Chris to a sitting position on the bed. "Look, you're human, Chris. It's natural to be nervous. I mean, you're about to take on a huge responsibility. But you're going to be okay. You love her, she loves you. Plus, let's face it, when you can find someone that this zoo of a family doesn't scare away, you know she's worth all the nerves and the pain of being in love." He sat down beside his brother. "You are good at everything you do, Chris. You're a great chef and an amazing businessman. Without you, Yummies would crumble to the ground. You are also a good, loyal son and the best brother ever. You love and protect your entire family every day. On top of all that, you are the most feared witch on the planet, Chris. You're powerful, strong, honest…why in the world would you think you won't be as good at being a husband?"

Chris sighed. "I don't know… maybe because all of the stuff you just mentioned takes up so much of my time as it is. I don't want to be an absent husband and father, Wyatt. I want to be there for my entire family. That includes you and Mom and Dad, the Aunts and the cousins, plus now Maya. It's just scary I guess."

Wyatt laughed softly. "Chris, do you realize that's the first time you've ever said you were scared to me? After all the demons, warlocks and dark lighters we've hunted over the years, one little pint sized beauty is scaring you? Look, Chris, Maya loves you. Somehow, she even loves your family. So just stop worrying. It will work out somehow. As long as you love her. You do love her, right?"

"More than I ever thought possible. In my other life, Bianca…she was my first love, and the only one I ever wanted. But now, in this life, I had a chance to date and see the world first, before I fell in love. I thought Bianca was my destiny, but after meeting Maya, I know that what I felt for Bianca was need, based in desperation. My destiny is with Maya, I feel that, deep inside."

Wyatt smiled at the poetic tone in Chris' voice. "Did it help, just to say it out loud?" he asked, knowing his brother's mind.

Chris grinned, and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, bro."

"Anytime. Now, let me see this tie again, maybe I can get it right." Wyatt stood with Chris and grabbed the bow tie again, tying it in quick motions.

Leo and Piper smiled at each other, watching their sons in their childhood bedroom. This time they'd done it, both of their boys were happy, and would soon both be married. Hand in hand they slipped silently away, not letting on that they had heard the brotherly exchange, or that they had been moved by it.

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Chris smiled at Maya as they walked together through the living room, decorated for their hand fast Wiccan wedding. It was barely sunset, as was the custom for the hand fasting. He smiled and winked at Grams, who had just finished chewing out Wyatt for not inviting her to his rushed Las Vegas wedding. In the end, she had given Wyatt and Abby her blessing, and had even officiated a hand fast ceremony for them on the spot.

"Are you ready, Chris?" she asked her grandson with a grin. Anyone with a shred of empathic ability could tell that he was more than ready to be joined with his future wife permanently. His mind was shouting it for all the world to hear.

He smiled tenderly at Maya. "Grams, I've never been more ready for anything."

"Very well. Join hands." She wrapped a long length of blue velvet ribbon around their joined hands and wrists, effectively tying them together. "Repeat after me;

_"Heart to thee,  
body to thee,  
always and forever,  
so mote it be."_

Chris and Maya repeated the words in unison, sealing the hand fast. Grams wiped a tear away from her cheek as they kissed tenderly. Finally, Chris' tortured soul could be soothed by love. It was about time.

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Chris and Maya again walked up the aisle, this time in the park in their neighborhood. They had gotten special permission from the city for the wedding, and it was aglow in soft white Christmas lights and hurricane lamps on each of the white washed tables. Off to the side, a string quartet played softly in the background. The early evening ceremony fit perfectly with their plans, as the hours just after sunset were their favorite to spend together. The city was calming down from the bustle of the day, and the moon cast its hypnotic gaze on the city.

"We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of two souls. Christopher Perry Halliwell and Maya Elizabeth Jefferson stand here before us separate souls who wish to merge into one spiritual being. Chris and Maya have prepared their own vows." The minister stepped back, allowing Chris and Maya to have the focus of attention.

Chris stepped forward and took Maya's hand. "God, you look beautiful." He blurted out. The gathered family and friends broke out into gentle laughter. His cheeks flushed a bit, and he cleared his throat. "Um… anyway. Maya, I love you. You are the soul that mine has been searching for. Your acceptance of my many quirks and issues is the balm that soothes my soul. No matter how long or hard or dirty my day has been, your presence reaches into the deepest recesses of my heart, mind and soul. Thank you for loving me. I promise you, I will be the best husband that I can be. I will love, honor and cherish you until death and beyond."

Maya stepped forward next, wiping the tears from her eyes that Chris' words had brought. "You look pretty good yourself, studly." She gave a watery laugh, and started her own vows. "I've never believed in fairy tales. I'm a realist, and I knew that believing in happily ever after was a waste of time and energy. Thank you, Chris, for proving me wrong. Fairy tales do exist. I'm living proof of it. Where else would an orphan with no family and no friends, suddenly find herself in love with the most amazing man in any universe. You have shared every aspect of your life with me. You have given me support, love, friendship, kindness and most of all, a family. When the day is over, I will have gained more than just a husband. I also will have gained a brother, a mom and a dad, aunts, uncles and cousins. But Chris, I want to you know that even if you came with no trappings whatsoever, if it was only you, that would be enough. You bring light and happiness into my life. When the demon inside me threatens to emerge, you calm it with a touch of your hand, with a calming word, or with a soothing kiss. I will love you forever and onto eternity. You are my moon, my sun and my stars. Tonight is only the first night of forever."

They each turned, and took the matching silver bands off the pillow that was sitting on a pillar swathed in rose garlands. Together they spoke in unison. "Every time I look at this ring, I will be reminded of these vows. One unending circle, a symbol of our love. This I swear to you." They slid the bands onto each others fingers.

"With the words of love and commitment, these two souls are one. What God hath brought together, let no man tear asunder. Chris, you may kiss your bride." The minister spoke calmly as Chris stepped forward, kissing Maya after tenderly wiping away the tears that had spilled over her cheeks.

Maya stiffened under Chris' mouth, her body jerking. Chris pulled away slightly. "Maya?" he questioned softly as he ran his hand tenderly down her back in a soothing gesture. He jerked his hand away as a jagged pain suddenly ripped down his arm. He turned her slightly, seeing his worst fears met. A dark lighter's arrow stuck out from her back, leaving her beautiful white satin gown torn and bloody.

"WYATT! DAD!" Chris bellowed, knowing they couldn't see the arrow from where they stood. He attempted to heal her, but the poison in his own system from touching the arrow prevented it. He fell to the ground, still holding Maya.

Wyatt ran to his brother, literally jumping over the witnesses to get to his brother and new sister. His face paled as he saw the damage to Maya's back, and the bleached white look on Chris' face. He immediately laid his hands on Chris' arm, trying to heal the poison in Chris' body. He felt the circle of his family close in, circling the couple, protecting them from the prying eyes of the rest of the witnesses. Leo crouched next to Maya as did Paige, both hurriedly attempting to heal her. The familiar golden glow broke through the air, but nothing happened to save either Chris or Maya.

"We've got to get them to a hospital." Piper announced loudly. Knowing what she meant, Wyatt picked up Chris, and carried him hurriedly to his car, driving just down the street to the Manor and running in with him to the living room. The rest of the family quickly followed suit, leaving Paisley, Ryan and Jax behind to settle the guests and cover their tracks.

"The arrow, it has to be covered in a heal-resistant poison. Piper, do you think you can mix up something to figure out what it is, and make an antidote? We'll keep healing as much as we can." Paige reasoned, staring down at the wound left in Maya's back.

Piper grabbed the arrow, and ran with it into the kitchen. Phyra was right behind her, grabbing herbs and potion ingredients from the cabinets. As she tossed a few things together, Piper hurriedly added others, creating the only potion that she knew of to determine a poison. As they dipped the poisoned arrow in the potion, it hissed and steamed, showing the ingredients that had made the poison.

"They used elderberry, marjoram, and asbestos fibers. It's a nasty mix that protects itself from a white lighter's healing powers." Phyra announced, running back into the living room. "We'll work on a reversal, but it takes a while. Just…do whatever you can, okay? The poison is particularly fast moving."

Wyatt and Leo shared a grim expression, and continued to try healing the newlyweds.

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"MOM! We need that potion, NOW!" Wyatt screamed out. It had been almost an hour since Phyra had made her announcement, and Maya's chest was barely moving. An eery rattle came from her chest.

"Oh, No. No. Come on, Maya. Don't do this to him. Fight the poison, Maya. Fight it!" Leo yelled at her, still holding his hands over her body, futilely attempting to heal her.

Piper and Phyra ran in, each holding a potion vial. "Got it! Hurry, we have to hurry."

Wyatt grabbed one of the potion bottles and raised into Chris' lips, forcing him to drink it. A gold light covered Chris' entire body, as the potion bleached the poison from his body. He woke instantly, having remembered everything that was said when he was unconscious. "MAYA!" He screamed, rolling over to get to her.

Leo was trying to pour the second potion down her throat. "Chris…"

Chris grabbed the potion away. "Maya, come on, sweetheart. Drink it. You'll feel better, I promise. Maya, drink it. MAYA!" He slapped lightly at her cheeks, trying to make her respond enough to swallow.

Paige swallowed around the lump in her throat. "Chris, she can't drink it. She…she's gone."

"No! No, damn it! She just has to drink it, and then she'll wake up. You'll see. You'll see!" Chris insisted harshly.

"Chris…" Leo sadly said his son's name as tears ran down his face. For the first time Leo looked as though he was as old as he truly was.

"No." Chris' voice broke on a sob. "No, Dad. She's okay. She'll be… okay."

Wyatt touched his shoulder lightly. "Chris, she's not getting better. The poison…it was too much. We almost lost you too."

Chris' voice was bitter with regret and loss. "Maybe you should have just let me go too." He touched Maya's forehead gently with his lips. He sat back on his heels and cradled her body in his arms, as tears and sobs of anguish filled the room.

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**A/N: I'm an evil, nasty person, huh? You guys thought I'd just let Chris be happy, huh? C'mon…admit it! This is the end of this story. However, keep tuned for the next one, I promise… Chris isn't going to take this lying down!**


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